The investigation into Matthew Perry‘s death is ongoing. In the wake of the Friends actor’s death on Oct. 28, ET spoke to Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who’s now the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, and he explained the process Los Angeles officials may go through during death investigations.
First, Rahmani, who is not part of Perry’s death investigation, noted that investigators must first “rule out a murder, a homicide, or determine that the death was accidental,” a process that “could take weeks or even longer” in Perry’s case.
“If they rule out foul play, then they start looking at whether the death was a suicide or whether it was accidental,” he said, “and they start determining, if it was accidental, what specifically was the manner and means of death.”
In a statement to ET, the Los Angeles Fire Department provided details of what they observed when they arrived to Perry’s home on Oct. 28.
“Los Angeles City Firefighters responded to [a residence] at 4:07 p.m., PT on Oct. 28, 2023, to find an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone jacuzzi,” the LAFD’s statement read. “A bystander had brought the man’s head above the water and gotten him to the edge, then firefighters removed him from the water upon their arrival.”
“A rapid medical assessment, sadly, revealed the man was deceased prior to first responder arrival,” the statement continued. “The circumstances are under investigation by LAPD and the LA County Medical Examiner. We mourn with families and friends who lose a loved one unexpectedly.”
Given that Perry was found in a hot tub outside his home, Rahmani believes that video surveillance will be an important aspect of the investigation.
“Investigators love video surveillance because video doesn’t lie. Most homes here in Los Angeles have video surveillance of at least the exterior of the home, and because Matthew Perry died in the hot tub that should be a good source of information as to what he was doing right before he died,” he said. “The video surveillance of the hot tub is gonna be key to show what Perry was doing right before he entered the tub and his actions in the tub.”
As for what investigators may find on the footage, Rahmani speculated, “He could have suffered a seizure, for instance, and drowned. …Or he simply could have fainted because of the temperature of the tub, or he may have slipped and fell.”
Also of importance during the investigation is determining the length of time Perry was in the hot tub before he died.
“Hundreds of people die every year in hot tubs, and it could be because their body temperature goes up and they pass out, or it could be that they fall asleep because of the temperature and then drown,” Rahmani said. “That’s something that investigators are gonna look very closely at.”
Perry’s cellphone will be “the other key piece of evidence in the case,” Rahmani said.
“Not only his communication, his internet search history,” he said.
Perry’s medical history, Rahmani said, is also going to “be key evidence in the case and something that the investigators are gonna look into.”
Perry was very open about his struggle with alcohol and substance abuse and his road to sobriety in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
“He’s someone who was an admitted alcoholic, a prescription drug user, had been in and out of rehab, and even had his heart stop in one particular case,” he said. “This is someone who was not in good health and investigators are gonna ask themselves, ‘Was this something that was inevitable? Or was this something that was caused by drugs, alcohol, or something else?'”
That can also be determined via a blood draw, which will show “what substances, if any, were in Perry’s bloodstream when he died,” according to Rahmani.
Following Perry’s death at age 54, tributes poured in for the actor from his family, exes, pals, former co-stars, fans, and Friends castmates. Watch the video below for more on the late actor.
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