Argentine authorities have indicted five people in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who fell from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires in October.
Three of those indicted are employees of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel where Mr. Payne died, according to a statement from the local prosecutor’s office.
A toxicology report from tests taken after an autopsy said that Mr. Payne, 31, had cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he died on Oct. 16, according to the local prosecutor’s office. The statement suggested that his death was not a suicide because of the determination that Mr. Payne fell while in a state of unconsciousness. The autopsy indicated that the singer died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding.”
The five people were indicted on Dec. 27 by the investigating judge, Laura Bruniard, who noted that footage from the hotel showed that Mr. Payne was unable to care for himself.
In indicting the defendants, Judge Bruniard has decided to proceed toward a trial based on evidence collected by the prosecutors. Now, under Argentina’s legal system, the defendants’ lawyers may appeal that decision before a prosecutor decides to request a trial after considering all of the evidence.
The hotel’s manager, Gilda Martin, and its chief receptionist, Esteban Grassi, as well as a friend of Mr. Payne’s, the businessman Rogelio Nores, are accused of being negligent in regards to the singer’s death. The charge they each face, negligent homicide for a professional, carries a sentence of one to five years in prison in Argentina.
The statement from the prosecutor’s office identified all the defendants by their initials as is typical at this stage of a criminal proceeding in Argentina. It said that Ms. Martin and Mr. Grassi were in the hotel lobby and noticed Mr. Payne’s inebriation, which at times was so severe he was unable to stand. The statement said the three people should have kept Mr. Payne away from the danger of his hotel room until he received medical care. Mr. Grassi is also accused of directing three people to drag Mr. Payne to his room.
Mr. Nores, who the authorities have described as someone who was with Mr. Payne on a daily basis during his trip to Buenos Aires, is accused of failing to comply with his duties of care by leaving Mr. Payne alone while intoxicated. Prosecutor Andres Madrea had previously requested he be charged with the more serious crime of abandonment of a person followed by death, which carries a sentence of five to 15 years in prison.
A CasaSur Palermo hotel employee, Ezequiel Pereyra, and a local waiter, Braian Paiz, were indicted on a charge that they supplied narcotics to Mr. Payne in the days leading up to his death.
Mr. Pereyra and Mr. Paiz have been ordered into custody; Judge Bruniard said preventative detention was needed because the charge leveled against them carries a sentence of between four and 15 years in prison and cannot be suspended.
Lawyers for several of the defendants could not be reached for comment, but a lawyer for Mr. Paiz, Fernando Madeo, said his client was not guilty and that he would be appealing the charge. He objected to his client being detained before trial, calling it absurd. “There is no danger of flight,” he said.
The three defendants accused of negligence in Mr. Payne’s death were not ordered into custody. However, Nores, a United States national, has been directed to not leave Argentina. Lawyers for Mr. Payne’s family declined to comment on the indictment.
Mr. Payne rose to celebrity as a member of the British boy band One Direction, assembled on the talent show “The X Factor” in 2010 when he was 16. One Direction achieved international success and a devoted fandom with hits like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Best Song Ever” before disbanding in 2016, with its five members pursuing solo music careers. Mr. Payne’s only studio album, “LP1,” was released in 2019.
His death in October inspired an outpouring of grief from fans and collaborators. His funeral, a private service in Amersham, England, was attended by Mr. Payne’s former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik and several members of the girl group Girls Aloud, including the singer known as Cheryl, Mr. Payne’s former partner and the mother of Payne’s 7-year-old-son, Bear.
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