Rehabilitation counselor convicted in Matthew Perry's death

Rehabilitation counselor Eric Fleming has been sentenced to two years in prison for supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his death, NME magazine reports.

The 54-year-old "Friends" star was found unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. He was later pronounced dead, with the cause of death listed as acute effects of ketamine, with drowning and coronary heart disease cited as additional factors.

Five people have been charged in connection with Perry's death in August 2024, including doctors Marco Chavez and Salvador Plasencia, the actor's assistant Kenneth Aivamas, drug dealer Jaswin Sanga, also known as the "Ketamine Queen", and Fleming.

Fleming pleaded guilty in 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, admitting in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry. He also said he obtained the drug from Sanga and that he had handed over 50 vials to Aivamasi, half of which he had received just four days before Perry's death.

Fleming was sentenced to two years in federal prison in Los Angeles. In a letter he sent to the court before his sentencing, he said he had struggled with addiction throughout his life and that he was overcome with "an overwhelming sense of sadness and shame" when he learned of Perry's death.

"I knew what I had done and understood the pain his death would cause to the people who loved him. I offer my sincere apologies to Matt's family for my inexcusable behavior in this case. I take full responsibility for my crimes. I hope my sentence will bring at least a measure of justice and peace to all who loved Matt. This is truly a nightmare from which I cannot wake up. It haunts me for the mistakes I have made," he wrote.

Fleming said that in October 2023 he was "in the midst of a relapse" and "desperate" for money. He also cooperated with authorities immediately after his arrest and revealed information about Sanga, so it is believed that without his cooperation with the investigation, he would have been sentenced to four years in prison.

Last month, Sanga was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with prosecutors alleging that after learning she had sold the drugs that caused Perry's death, she "continued to sell them without the slightest concern."