Five charged over Liam Payne’s hotel plunge death: One Direction star’s friend Rogelio Nores is among three accused of ‘manslaughter’ while ‘staff who sold him drugs’ are ordered into custody
Several people have reportedly been charged in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne in Argentina.
The Argentinian online newspaper Infobae published that five people have been charged by a judge and two have been remanded in custody.
The site claims that one of those charged is Liam’s boyfriend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, who said he left the singer at the CasaSur Palermo hotel about an hour before he fell.
Infobae reported that authorities have charged him with negligent homicide.
Braian Paiz, a waiter who admitted using drugs, including cocaine, on the singer, was charged with supplying narcotics for payment.
CasaSur employee Ezequiel Pereyra was also charged with supplying drugs.
Hotel managers Gilda Martín and Esteban Grassi have reportedly been charged with manslaughter. All five have been summoned to appear in court.
The One Direction star died on October 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
His death shocked the world and raised questions about how he fell.
Liam Payne’s last Snapchat post before falling to his death from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel
Roger Nores has denied being responsible for the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne, claiming the star was ‘playful’ in the hours before he died
A drone shot shows the balcony of the CasaSur Hotel where Payne fell to his death
Photo released by Buenos Aires police showing a TV with a broken screen and a half-full glass of champagne in the hotel room
Forensic investigators leave the hotel where the former One Direction singer was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires
Police launched an extensive investigation into his death and Nores previously denied being a suspect.
A 911 call on the day the singer died warned that he had been acting aggressively and may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Grassi, the head receptionist, claimed Liam called ‘insistently’ to request alcohol and where he could get cocaine – allegedly insulting a staff member who said he couldn’t help.
In addition, text messages allegedly exchanged between Liam and an escort emerged in which he offered her $5,000 (£3,900) to ‘party’.
It came after reports suggested a psychiatrist had emailed Nores to advise that it was ‘impossible’ to continue supporting Liam with his mental health – and to warn of the risks associated with combining antidepressants and alcohol.
Alleged dealers Braian Nahuel Paiz and Ezequiel David Pereyra, a former employee of the Buenos Aires hotel, said they “retained their right to remain silent” during an earlier hearing before Laura Bruniard.
Following a police investigation, both defendants were charged with supplying narcotics for payment, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
Braian had told an Argentinian TV journalist last month that he had used marijuana and that the former One Direction star had snorted cocaine during a meeting at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, where Payne was staying shortly before his death.
A photo shows Braian Nahuel Paiz with Liam Payne, reportedly during their first arranged meeting at a hotel
Paiz has admitted to having two hotel meetings with the 31-year-old
Mr Nores reportedly met Liam Payne in 2020 and was pictured with him in Argentina before the singer’s death
Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson in 2013
More floral arrangements have been left in honor of Liam Payne in his hometown of Wolverhampton
But Braian emphasized in his interview with Guillermo Panizza on Telefe Noticias: “I never brought him drugs or took money.”
Pereyra, 21, identified locally as the hotel worker suspected of delivering drugs to Liam in a Dove soapbox, has so far made no public comment since it emerged he had been placed under formal investigation.
Nores told a TMZ documentary investigating Payne’s death that he was “in good spirits and perfectly balanced” the day he died, as he refuted claims the singer was drunk and behaving erratically shortly before his fatal fall on Oct. 16 from the third-floor balcony of his hotel.
The businessman, who is fighting allegations he abandoned his friend before his death amid claims he was Payne’s ‘de facto’ manager, has previously protested his innocence after being named locally as one of the men under investigation.
He 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 more than 15 people in the hotel lobby talking and joking with him when I left.
‘I could never have imagined something like this would happen.
“I gave my statement to the prosecutor as a witness on October 17 and I have not spoken to any police officer or prosecutor since then.
‘I wasn’t Liam’s manager. He was just my dear friend.”
Grassi and Martin have been identified as two of the three men who carried the singer from the hotel lobby to his room shortly before his fall.
The head receptionist, who called 911 shortly before the 31-year-old singer’s death, has not made any public comment since he was named as one of the suspects.
Tests revealed that the singer was bingeing on alcohol and cocaine before his death and also had traces of an antidepressant in his system.
Funeral directors place a floral tribute reading ‘Daddy’ outside One Direction singer Liam Payne’s funeral service
An emotional Harry Style leaves the funeral of fellow One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne
One Direction singer Niall Horan (left) is pictured at Payne’s funeral with former One D star Zayn Malik (right)
Liam Payne and Roger Nores are pictured here in West Hollywood in June of this year
Payne pictured at Kiss FM Studios on September 3, 2019
Liam Payne (left) and Kate Cassidy at the 2022 Fashion Awards
Prosecutors also made it clear that the idea that Liam had committed suicide had been ruled out, saying he was in a state of “semi- or total unconsciousness” when he fell to his death from his hotel balcony while “not knowing what he was doing.” do laundry’. .’
About the hotel worker and the alleged ‘drug dealer’ they said: ‘The second suspect is a hotel worker assigned to respond to two proven deliveries of cocaine to Liam Payne during the time he was at the hotel.
‘The third is also a drug dealer who is under investigation on suspicion of a further two clearly proven deliveries of cocaine at two different times on October 14.’
The recent publication of Liam’s last photo, which shows him being carried from his hotel lobby to his room by three men, including Mr Grassi, shortly before his fall, has led to speculation in the Argentinian media that the judicial investigation will ultimately could result in a manslaughter investigation.
Shocked tourist Bret Watson, who saw Liam fall to his death, previously revealed to TMZ that the tragedy will forever be ‘burned into his mind’.
“It’s something that’s been burned into my brain and something I’ll never forget,” Mr Watson admitted.
It comes after Liam’s girlfriend reportedly agreed to be interviewed by Argentinian police as they continue their investigation into the pop star’s tragic death.
Kate Cassidy was with Payne just two days before he died when he fell from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel on October 16.
The 25-year-old woman is not under investigation for any misconduct. Instead, she will provide a witness statement to give police insight into Payne’s final days.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, a source claimed Ms Cassidy is speaking to police because ‘she wants the right people brought to justice’.
The source said: ‘She’s going to help in any way she can, she wants the right people brought to justice, and if that means answering their questions, she will.
‘Clearly there is no reason for her not to cooperate. She tried for a long time to help him get clean, and is still haunted by what happened. Anyone who supplied drugs to Liam should be prosecuted, she says.”