Liam Payne’s family and friends may see justice soon. Two months after the One Direction singer’s fatal fall from his Argentina hotel room’s balcony, five people have been charged in connection to his death, including the hotel staff.
Page Six reports that the hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi, who made the 911 call moments before Payne’s death, and the singer’s friend Rogelio “Roger” Nores have been charged with manslaughter, court documents reveal. Two additional hotel employees, Braian Paiz and Ezequiel Pereyra, have been charged with supplying drugs to the singer. Payne publicly battled addiction and spoke openly about his struggle to stay sober, despite multiple stints in rehab.
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The singer fell to his death on October 16, 2024, at the age of 31, just hours after the receptionist phoned 9-1-1 to report he’d been acting erratically and appeared high on substances. An investigation determined Payne likely tried to climb off the balcony after allegedly being locked inside his room by employees.
An autopsy report revealed that Payne passed out while trying to escape from the balcony, causing the fall, resulting in a cranial fracture and internal and external bleeding. A toxicology report later determined that Payne consumed multiple drugs and alcohol before his death including cocaine, crack, a depressant, and pink cocaine — a recreational drug that mixes methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA, and others.
As for why Nores was charged, the friend-turned-manager was accused of abandonment for allegedly failing to inform Payne’s family that he had relapsed. Nores also reportedly did not answer the call when police tried notifying him of Payne’s death. He’d been on vacation for over a month at the time of his death.
Both Nores and Paiz are maintaining their innocence. Nores faces 15 years in prison if convicted. Payne was laid to rest in a ceremony attended by several famous friends, including former One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik on November 20.
