Five people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne in Argentina, authorities there say.
The 31-year-old star died on October 16 after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
Hotel manager Gilda Martin and receptionist Esteban Grassi, as well as Payne’s friend Roger Nores, have been charged with manslaughter, Argentine prosecutors say.
Ezequiel Pereyra – who also worked at the hotel – and Braian Paiz, a waiter, were charged with drug possession.
Under Argentina’s legal system, the prosecution collects evidence which it then presents to the judge, who must decide whether to proceed with the trial.
According to a statement released by the prosecutor’s office, Judge Laura Bruniard already made a decision on Friday to proceed to the next stage.
The lawyers of the accused can appeal against that decision. If their appeals are unsuccessful, the trial phase begins.
Judge Bruniard listed the charges against the five suspects, who are referred to by their initials, in court files, as is customary in court files at this stage of the proceedings.
- An EDP hotel employee is suspected of selling cocaine to Liam Payne on October 15 and 16
- The BNP waiter is also suspected of selling cocaine to Liam Payne twice on October 14
- Payne’s pal RLN is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly “failing to fulfill his duties of care, aid and assistance” to the singer after he “left him to his own devices knowing he was incapable of looking after himself and knowing that [Payne] suffered from multiple addictions”
- The manager of the GAM Hotel is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly failing to prevent Payne from being taken to his hotel room moments before his death. According to court documents, given Payne’s condition, the room’s balcony posed a “serious threat” and the manager should have made sure Payne was in a safe place until medical help arrived
- ERG’s head receptionist is also suspected of manslaughter for allegedly asking three people to “drag” Payne, who was unable to stand up, to his room instead of guarding him.
Judge Bruniard said she did not think Liam Payne’s friend, the hotel manager and the receptionist “planned or intended Payne’s death” but that their actions created a “risk” to his life.
If found guilty, the three could face one to five years in prison.
The penalty for drug possession is more severe and ranges from four to 15 years in prison.
Judge Bruniard remanded the two defendants in custody for drug supply.
They are invited to report within 24 working hours.
Fernando Madeo Facente, a lawyer representing Brian Paiz, told the BBC that he had advised his client not to turn himself in.
He said Brian Paiz was not a flight risk and did not impede the investigation in any way. On the contrary, he voluntarily handed over to the authorities his mobile phone on which there were conversations with Liam Payne.
The lawyer argued that keeping Brian Paiz in pretrial detention would therefore be completely unnecessary and excessive.
He also argued that the prosecution went too far in charging his client with selling drugs to Payne.
Mr Madeo Facente said his client and Payne spent time together “during which they talked and did a lot of things, in private”.
“And one of those things they were doing was drug use,” the lawyer said.
But he insisted that no money had been exchanged and that claims to the contrary were “completely false” and without evidence.
He also categorically rejected articles in the Argentine media that described his client as a “Liam Payne dealer”.
In November, the DA’s office said toxicology tests revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in Payne’s body.
The autopsy determined that the cause of death was “multiple injuries” and “internal and external bleeding”, as a result of falling from the hotel balcony.
According to the DA’s office, medical reports also suggest that Payne may have collapsed in a semi- or fully unconscious state.
The prosecution said that this ruled out the possibility of Payne’s conscious or voluntary act and concluded that the singer did not know what he was doing or had any idea about his actions.
Speaking to US celebrity news outlet TMZ after Payne’s death, Roger Nores said he was a “very good friend” of the singer and they had spent time together on the day the star died.
He said Payne “seemed playful and happy” when he left him about an hour before the musician fell from the balcony.
After Payne’s death, police found substances in his hotel room and items and furniture that had been damaged.
Hotel staff made two calls to 911 saying they had a guest who had taken “too much drugs and alcohol” and was “breaking up the whole room”, it was previously reported.
Payne became one of the most recognizable names in pop after appearing on The X Factor and rose to fame with boy band One Direction in the 2010s before the band went on an indefinite hiatus in January 2016.
Singer’s a funeral was held in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, last month.
His former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were among the mourners, along with Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his ex-partner Cheryl, with whom he has a son.
