Short answer: The federal prosecution connected to Matthew Perry’s death reached its endpoint after the final defendant was sentenced in May 2026, according to the Associated Press. But the available sources do not show a dated, official LAPD announcement that the department formally closed its investigation. Those are related, but distinct, milestones.
What “closed” means in this case
There are two separate status questions: whether LAPD publicly announced that its own investigation was closed, and whether the criminal prosecution arising from the investigation had finished. The reporting available supports the second: AP reported in May 2026 that the last defendant had been sentenced and that the investigation and prosecution had come to a close. It does not establish a separate LAPD notice or date expressly declaring the police investigation formally closed.
How the investigation and case unfolded
- October 28, 2023: Matthew Perry died at his home. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner later determined that the acute effects of ketamine caused his death and classified the manner as an accident. The Medical Examiner’s finding was published December 15, 2023.
- May 2024: LAPD said it was continuing its investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. That was a status statement at the time, not a closure announcement. The statement was reproduced in a USA TODAY video description.
- August 15, 2024: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced federal charges against five people in connection with Perry’s fatal overdose, identifying LAPD as part of the investigative effort. The charging announcement described allegations, not findings of guilt.
- May 2026: AP reported that Kenneth Iwamasa was the last of the five defendants to be sentenced and described the investigation and prosecution as having reached a close. That report supports the conclusion that the federal case reached its endpoint, but does not independently document a formal LAPD closure bulletin.
What the charges—and the outcome—do and do not establish
The DOJ’s August 2024 announcement charged five people in connection with Perry’s death. In that release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated: “An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” A charge should not be treated as proof of guilt.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in the same charging-announcement context: “Today we announce charges brought against the five individuals who, together, are responsible for the death of Matthew Perry.” That was the administrator’s statement accompanying the charges, not a substitute for the DOJ’s legal qualification or a court’s determination.
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The careful status update
The most precise account is that the federal prosecution was reported complete after the final defendant’s sentencing in May 2026. LAPD had publicly described its investigation as ongoing in May 2024 and was later credited as an investigative partner in the federal charging announcement. The sources cited here do not establish when—or whether—LAPD separately issued a formal notice closing its investigation.
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