Death of Matthew Perry: Stepfather reacts to the arrests

Matthew Perry’s stepfather (1969-2023) has spoken out about the latest investigation into the actor’s death. Five people have been arrested for allegedly supplying Perry with the anesthetic ketamine, which ultimately led to his death in October 2023. “We were and continue to be heartbroken over Matthew’s death, but it has helped us know that law enforcement took his case very seriously,” Keith Morrison said in a statement.

The family of the “Friends” star is pleased that “justice is taking its course and we are grateful for the extraordinary work of the various agencies whose staff investigated Matthew’s death.” They hope that “unscrupulous suppliers of dangerous drugs” will be deterred from their activities by the strict prosecution.

A director was also among the defendants

Matthew Perry was found lifeless in the hot tub of his house on October 28, 2023. The autopsy report revealed that an overdose of ketamine in his blood had led to his drowning. On August 15, it was finally announced that five people had been arrested in connection with his death, who allegedly supplied him with the substance and profited from his addiction problem: Perry’s personal assistant, two doctors, a drug dealer and a confidant of the series actor who is said to have acted as a middleman in the procurement of ketamine.

The latter is Erik Fleming (54) – and he is no stranger. Fleming himself used to be active in Hollywood, as he worked as a director and headed a production company. In 1999, he directed the children’s film “George the Troubles” with Scarlett Johansson (39) and Eva Mendes (50) in the leading roles.

Fleming pleaded guilty on August 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He admitted to distributing 50 vials of ketamine, half of them four days before Perry’s death. He faces up to 25 years in prison for these activities.