Please bookmark for future updates
Two others charged with drug supply in connection with One Direction singer’s fall from Buenos Aires hotel balcony
Three people have been charged with manslaughter, and two others with drug supply, in connection with the death of Liam Payne, who was allegedly seen being “dragged to his room” while unconscious moments before he fell from his balcony in Argentina earlier this year.
The 31-year-old former One Direction singer fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires on 16 October.
Argentina’s public prosecutions ministry confirmed on Monday that three people had been charged with manslaughter, specifically the charge of negligent homicide.
These were Payne’s friend, Roger Nores, the manager of the hotel where he was staying, Gilda Martín, and the head of reception, Esteban Grassi.
Braian Paiz, a waiter at a restaurant in Puerto Madero, an affluent area of Buenos Aires, and Ezequiel Pereyra, an employee of the Casa Sur, were charged with supplying narcotics and detained.
Nores, described as Payne’s friend and representative during his stay in Argentina, was accused of “abandoning [Payne] to his fate, knowing that he was incapable of caring for himself” and “having full knowledge of the state of intoxication, vulnerability and helplessness in which he found himself”.
The charges state that Martín was present in the hotel lobby, where Payne was prior to his death, and that she noticed the singer was “unable to stand due to the consumption of various substances”.
They also state she “allowed for Payne to be taken to his room moments before his death” and that the balcony there “was a source of risk”. The charges allege she should have kept him “safe in an area without sources of danger, in company and until medical care was provided for him”.
Grassi is alleged to have “led a group of three people who dragged Payne to his room moments before his death”.
Judge Laura Bruniard, the head of the national criminal and correctional court No 34, said: “Bringing Payne up to room 310 in that state, where he was staying, was creating a legally unacceptable risk to his life.”
Bruniard said “it was proven by the testimonies gathered by the prosecutor that Payne had a history of addiction” and an autopsy confirmed “the presence of cocaine and alcohol in large quantities”.
He was also seen demanding cocaine and alcohol by hotel staff, she said.
The judge said the singer was seen unconscious and being dragged “by three people” and “the way he was being handled shows a state of vulnerability”.
She said Martín and Grassi could be seen outside Payne’s hotel room minutes before he was found dead on the restaurant’s patio.
“Payne’s consciousness was altered and there was a balcony in the room. The proper thing to do was to leave him in a safe place and with company until a doctor arrived,” Bruniard said. “I believe that the [manager and head of reception] did not act maliciously in relation to the singer’s death, but they were imprudent in allowing him to be taken to the room.”
Bruniard also said she believed Payne did not faint and that in his state of intoxication he tried to leave via the balcony and fell, “because the forensic experts noted that he did not lose his balance”.
Forensic experts concluded Payne fell on to the hotel restaurant’s patio “without any sign of defence”, causing multiple injuries to his body, particularly his head, after directly hitting the concrete support of an umbrella.
Bruniard said that Nores “had assumed a position of guarantor in front of the family of the deceased”, and that footage showed him leaving Casa Sur at 4.11pm, 50 minutes before Payne’s death.
Sign up to First Edition
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
She said that “at that point, given the results of the autopsy, Payne’s state of vulnerability was evident” and Nores “could not trust that the rest of the hotel staff would act appropriately”. Nores has been prevented from leaving the country prior to a trial.
She concluded that “the three people who are being prosecuted [for manslaughter] have contributed, although not in a planned manner, to creating a risk that resulted in Payne’s death, whether by action or omission”.
Pereyra is accused of delivering cocaine to Payne, for a fee, on 15 and 16 October, while Paiz is accused of delivering cocaine to the singer twice on 14 October, at one point checking in to Payne’s hotel room between 3.25am and 8.15am.
Bruniard said that “Payne asked for money at the reception desk while the defendant was in his room”. Later that morning, it is alleged Payne travelled to Paiz’s home by taxi to pick up more cocaine.
Pereyra reportedly received $100 from Payne in exchange for drugs and, on another occasion, the singer sent a car to his home to collect more.
Fernando Madeo, a lawyer acting on behalf of Paiz, said his client consumed narcotics but denied selling Payne drugs. “He stated that he met Liam on two occasions. Among several issues, which they did in a private environment, they also consumed narcotics, but it is not true that he sold him drugs,’ Madeo said.
Madeo said Paiz was a “lifelong One Direction fan” who met Payne when he dined at the restaurant where Paiz worked, after which they “got high together”, but he said Paiz “wasn’t the dealer”.
Those charged with culpable homicide face a sentence of up to five years in prison, while those charged with supplying narcotics face between four and 15 years in prison.
Payne, from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, rose to fame in 2010 after appearing as a contestant on The X Factor where he was selected to be a member of One Direction, which went on to become one of the bestselling boybands of all time.
After One Direction announced a hiatus in 2016, Payne released his debut solo album, LP1, in December 2019.
Liam Payne: Argentinian officials charge three with manslaughter
