5 Charged In Death Of One Direction’s Liam Payne, Including His Friend: Report

Five people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne, per local Argentinian outlets Infobae and Clarín.

The singer was 31 years old when he died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires in October.

Payne’s self-described “very dear friend,” Argentinian businessman Rogelio “Roger” Nores, is among those charged, The Independent noted. Nores said he left the hotel 40 minutes before Payne’s death and denied any involvement in what happened.

The hotel’s chief receptionist, Esteban Grassi, and head of security, Gilda Martin, are also charged with manslaughter, per the report from Infobae.

Nores said in a statement last month, “I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could never have imagined something like this would happen.”

Hotel waiter Braian Paiz previously admitted to using drugs with Payne, including cocaine. Paiz has been charged with supplying narcotics for payment. A second hotel employee named Ezequiel Pereyra was also charged with supplying drugs.

The One Direction star died after sustaining a serious skull fracture. Payne’s autopsy later determined the singer had a toxic mixture of drugs in his system, including crack and so-called “pink cocaine” — a mix of ketamine and other drugs, per the New York Post.

His funeral was held in November in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. The singer’s ex, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, was in attendance. The former couple had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey.

Buenos Aires police found Payne’s hotel room “in total disorder” after the singer’s death, the NY Post noted. Hotel staff called emergency services minutes before Payne’s fatal fall to report that the celebrity was “trashing the room.”

During the call, one hotel staffer said they worried Payne’s “life may be in danger” because he was “in a room with a balcony.”