Matthew Perry’s parents slam 'greedy jackals' in emotional court letters: 'How do you measure grief?'

Ahead of the upcoming sentencing of Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Matthew Perry’s parents have submitted letters to the court expressing their concerns, frustrations, and hopes for accountability. Plasencia is one of the defendants in the federal ketamine-distribution case connected to the actor’s 2023 death.

In one letter obtained by Rolling Stone, Perry’s mother, Suzanne, and stepfather, Keith Morrison, reflect on the emotional toll of their son’s long struggle with addiction. “How do you measure grief? Can you possibly provide any rational accounting? The bottom falling out? Yes, that,” they wrote. They described years of trying to support Perry through relapses and recovery, saying his life was often “held aloft sometimes with duct tape and bailing wire.” Referring to the individuals who supplied him drugs, they added, “And then those greedy jackals come out of the dark, and all the effort is for naught; it all crashes down.”

Their letter singles out Plasencia as “among the most culpable of all.” Prosecutors say the doctor provided ketamine to Perry multiple times in the weeks leading up to his death, meeting him privately at his home or in vehicles and administering injections without medical justification. Plasencia has pleaded guilty to several counts of ketamine distribution. His plea agreement outlines repeated sales and treatments after another clinic had already declined to increase Perry’s dosage.

A separate letter from Perry’s father and stepmother, John and Debby Perry, also addresses the court. They write that Plasencia “didn’t deserve to hear” their feelings but still describe Matthew as “a warm, loving man who was to be our rock as we aged… Our next patriarch.” Their message expresses frustration at the doctor’s decisions: “Matthew’s recovery counted on you saying NO. Your motives? I can’t imagine.” They urged the court to impose a sentence that would give Plasencia “plenty of time to think about his actions.”

Plasencia faces a potential sentence of up to 40 years. Several other defendants in the case have already accepted plea agreements and are expected back in court in the coming weeks.