Stepfather Keith Morrison Breaks Silence on Matthew Perry Case as He Reacts to Assistant’s Prison Sentence: “Angry Is an Understatement”
Keith Morrison has spoken out after the sentencing of Matthew Perry’s former live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, in a case tied to the actor’s death in 2023.
According to reporting from ABC News, Iwamasa was sentenced to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine in connection with Perry’s fatal overdose. Perry, best known for his role on Friends, was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. He was 54 years old.
Morrison, who is Perry’s stepfather and a correspondent for Dateline NBC, spoke to reporters outside the Los Angeles federal courthouse after the sentencing. He did not hold back when describing how he felt about the case and its outcome.
“I’m glad it’s done, but to say I’m angry is an understatement,” Morrison said, according to ABC News.
He also pointed to what he believes was a betrayal of trust, saying that Iwamasa was in a position of responsibility when Perry needed support the most.
“What happens if Matthew gets into any trouble with drugs at all? You call,” Morrison said. “Instead, he controlled him by the use of ketamine.”
Court documents and earlier reports state that Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine multiple times, including on the day the actor died. He also acknowledged that he had no medical training to administer the drug.
An autopsy later confirmed that Perry’s death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine, with other contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and prescription medication effects.
Iwamasa is one of several people charged in connection with the case. Prosecutors said Perry was supplied ketamine through a broader illegal network. Among those involved was Jasveen Sangha, also known as the “Ketamine Queen,” who pleaded guilty to selling the dose that led to Perry’s death and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Other individuals also received sentences in related cases. Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine and received 30 months in prison. Dr. Mark Chavez, who previously ran a ketamine clinic, received eight months of home confinement after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. Another defendant, Erik Fleming, was also charged in connection with supplying the drug.
Before Iwamasa’s sentencing, members of Perry’s family submitted victim impact statements that described their grief and sense of betrayal. His half-sister Madeline said she could not understand how someone so close to Perry could be involved in his death.
“It is difficult to put into words the sense of betrayal I felt when I found out what Kenny had done,” she wrote. “The idea that someone my brother considered family could betray him in such an unimaginable way is something I never could have conceived.”
Morrison previously spoke about Perry during a 2024 appearance on the Making Space podcast, saying the actor had been in better spirits shortly before his death.
“He was happy, and he said so. And he hadn’t said that for a long time,” Morrison said. “It’s a source of comfort, but also, he didn’t get to have his third act, and that’s not fair.”
The case continues to draw attention as multiple people connected to Perry’s death have now been sentenced or convicted, with investigations into the illegal ketamine supply chain still referenced in court proceedings.
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