Matthew Perry’s Parents Speak Out Before Doctor’s Sentencing — Report

As the court gets ready to sentence Dr. Salvador Placenscia, one of the five people convicted in Matthew Perry's death, Perry's parents have filed victim impact letters. Short version: they do not hold back.

What the families said

Rolling Stone reports that the letters were submitted ahead of Placenscia's sentencing in the case tied to Perry's ketamine overdose. Both sides of Matthew's family weighed in, and their messages land hard.

• Suzanne and Keith Morrison (Perry's mother and stepfather) describe their grief as a deep well and call Placenscia 'among the most culpable of all.' They condemn what they say was a doctor breaking his most important vows, meeting Matthew in secret, and enabling the very struggle everyone knew he was fighting. They even wonder aloud if the motive was simply money, and leave it at: some things are very hard to understand.
• John and Debby Perry (Matthew's father and stepmother) say the doctor didn't deserve to hear their feelings. In their letter, they hammer a simple point: Matthew's recovery depended on someone telling him no. They question what a doctor could have been thinking by supplying 'countless doses' and ask the court to hand down a longer sentence.

'How do you measure grief? Can you possibly provide any rational accounting? The bottom falling out? Yes, that. ... And then those greedy jackals come out of the dark, and all the effort is for naught; it all crashes down.'

Where this leaves the case

Placenscia is awaiting sentencing after being convicted as part of the case involving Perry's fatal ketamine overdose. Perry died on October 28, 2023. In their letters, his parents make it clear they see this doctor as a central figure in what happened and want the punishment to reflect that.