Photo Credit: Ashley Newby / CC by 2.0
An Argentine judge has charged five people in connection with Liam Payne’s death in the country in October. Here’s the latest.
Liam Payne died on October 16 after falling from his third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires while under the influence of a cocktail of drugs including ‘pink cocaine.’ Pink cocaine is called ‘tusi’ in Argentina and can contain a variety of drugs including ketamine, MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and xylazine.
The hotel’s manager Gilda Martin, its receptionist, Esteban Grassi, and Payne’s friend Roger Nores have been charged with manslaughter in the case. Ezequiel Pereyra and Braian Paiz have also been charged with supplying the drugs to the singer.
The Argentine prosecutor gathered evidence in the case and presented it to Judge Laura Bruniard. Judge Bruniard lists the charges against the five suspects in the court documents tied to the case.
Hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra is suspected of having sold Liam Payne the pink cocaine on October 15 & October 16. Waiter Braian Paiz is suspected of having sold cocaine to Liam Payne twice on October 14. Payne’s friend Roger Nores is suspected of manslaughter for “failing to fulfill his duties of care, assistance, and help” towards the singer and having “abandoned him to his luck knowing he was incapable of fending for himself and knowing that [Liam Payne] suffered from multiple addictions.”
The hotel manager Gilda Martin is charged with manslaughter for allegedly failing to stop Payne from being taken to his hotel room moments before his death. Court filings allege that the hotel room presented a ‘serious threat’ to the singer and the manager should have kept Payne in a safe space until medical help could be obtained.
Receptionist Esteban Grassi is also charged with manslaughter for asking three people to ‘drag’ Payne to his room instead of keeping him safe while medical assistance could be rendered. Judge Bruniard says she does not think that Nores, Martin, and Grassi “planned or wanted the death of Payne,” but that their actions had contributed to the risk of death.
If they are found guilty, those facing manslaughter charges could face between one and five years in prison. The drug-supplying charges are more severe based on Argentine law and carry a sentence of anywhere from four to 15 years in prison. The two people accused of supplying Payne have been ordered into custody.