Matthew Perry 'paid the price' for trusting former assistant
Matthew Perry's mother Suzanne Morrison has declared her son "paid the price" for trusting his former assistant Kenneth Iwamasa before his death from a drug overdose.
Matthew Perry "paid the price" for trusting his former assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, according to his mother.
The Friends star's mom Suzanne Morrison has taken aim at Iwamasa, 60, in a victim impact statement - obtained by PEOPLE - ahead of his sentencing hearing after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine in connection with the actor's death from a drug overdose at his home in Los Angeles in October 2023.
In the statement, Morrison insisted Iwamasa was supposed to be her son's "companion and guardian in his fight against addiction" and to help him remain "drug free."
She went on to claim Iwamasa - who was accused of injecting Perry with potent drugs on the day he died - of betraying the family's trust.
She added: "Instead of protecting Matthew, he aided and abetted illegal drug taking, arranged for one source of supply, then another. Shot the drugs into Matthew's body, though he was not in the least qualified.
"He did it even though he could see, anyone could have seen, it was so obviously dangerous. And he did it again and again."
Morrison also suggested Iwamasa tried to get close to her after her son's death and "kept a sharp eye on" her.
She wrote: "He sent me songs, he drew a little map to help me find my way around the cemetery. If he saw a rainbow – one of Matthew's favorite things – he would call me ... [He clung to me] as if he was somehow the good guy who tried to save Matthew ...
"We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price."
Morrison went on to declare her late her son was her "heart and my soul" and she thanked investigators for their hard work securing justice for the actor but she accepted closure "doesn't exist".
She concluded: "Nothing takes this pain away, nor will it, I am sure, for as long as [I] live."
Iwamasa pleaded guilty to a drugs charge as part of a deal with prosecutors. He could face up to 15 years in prison but officials are said to be recommending a sentence of 41 months behind bars as well as three years of supervised release.
The sentencing hearing is set for May 27.
