Five people have been charged in connection to the death of ex-boybander Liam Payne, according to the BBC. Payne died in October after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 31-year-old suffered from addiction issues, and toxicology tests reportedly revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system at the time of the fall.
Two of those charged, a hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz, have been accused of supplying Payne with drugs in the days leading up to his death, Argentina's prosecutor's office announced (via the BBC). The hotel's manager Gilda Martin, its receptionist Esteban Grassi, and Payne's friend Roger Nores have been charged with manslaughter. Judge Laura Bruniard said in her ruling that she didn't think the latter three "had planned or wanted the death of Payne" but that their actions had created a "risk" to his life. Per the judge's ruling, Martin was complicit in the singer's death for failing to stop him from being taken to his room where the balcony posed a "serious threat," rather than keeping him in the hotel lobby to await medical attention. Grassi's charges note that he asked three people to "drag" Payne, who was unable to stand on his own, to his room.
As for Nores, he is charged with "failing to fulfil his duties of care, assistance and help" towards the former One Direction member after having "abandoned him to his luck knowing that he was incapable of fending for himself and knowing that he [Payne] suffered from multiple addictions." Nores disputed the proposed charges earlier this month. He stated in a legal filing (obtained by Rolling Stone) that "I was a friend who loved him very much, who helped him selflessly in everything I could, who spent my own money to help him, and even then it was not enough. I do not consider that I deserve the accusation that is being leveled at me."
Nores' filing detailed multiple incidences of relapse over the course of the last year-plus, including two instances where Payne needed resuscitation and one in which he "suffered from a severe intoxication that left him close to death." "Because of his addictions, Payne continued to attend rehab centers of his own free will in an attempt to overcome them,” the filing reads in part. "Unfortunately, these treatments were not successful and his addiction worsened as he began to use harder drugs, such as heroin." Regarding the accusation of abandonment, Nores said in a statement last month (via Deadline), "I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. I could never have imagined something like this would happen."
If found guilty, Nores and the other two individuals charged with manslaughter face between one and five years in prison. The individuals charged with supplying drugs face between four and 15 years. All five of those charged have been summoned to appear in court within 24 hours. Per the BBC, the defendants' lawyers can now appeal the judge's decision to go to trial; if unsuccessful, the trial phase will begin.
