Argentine authorities have dropped charges against three 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.
The three people, a friend of Payne’s and two employees at the hotel where he died, had been accused of negligence in the singer’s death.
But two other men are still facing prosecution on charges that they supplied Mr. Payne with drugs.
A toxicology report said that Payne, 31, had cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he died on Oct. 16, according to a statement from the local prosecutor’s office. The statement suggested that his death was not a suicide because of the determination that Payne fell in a state of unconsciousness.
Here is what we know about the circumstances of Payne’s death and the ensuing autopsy and investigation.
An appeals court dropped charges against three people.
The three people who no longer face prosecution in Mr. Payne’s death are his friend Rogelio Nores and two employees of the hotel where Mr. Payne died, the CasaSur Palermo Hotel: the manager, Gilda Martín, and the chief receptionist, Esteban Grassi. All three had faced charges of negligence.
On Wednesday, Argentina’s Court of Appeals issued a ruling that reversed the decision to charge Mr. Nores, Ms. Martín and Mr. Grassi, who were accused in December of failing in their duty of care to help Mr. Payne.
Judge Laura Bruniard initially charged them with negligence, noting that footage from the hotel showed that Mr. Payne was unable to care for himself, and that the three of them should have kept Mr. Payne away from danger until he received medical care.
But the appeals court disagreed, ruling this week that the court could not prove the three defendants contributed to Mr. Payne’s death, that taking Mr. Payne to his hotel room did not constitute a crime, and that Mr. Nores had not been responsible for ensuring Mr. Payne’s safety.
The three were never ordered into custody, unlike the two defendants accused of supplying narcotics to Mr. Payne. The negligence charges carried a sentence of one to five years in prison.
“Glad this is finally over,” Mr. Nores told Rolling Stone. “I’m happy I’m now going to be able to travel to the U.K. and say goodbye to my friend.”
Prosecutors could still appeal the decision to drop the charges.
Two people still face charges.
A CasaSur Palermo Hotel employee, Ezequiel Pereyra, and a local waiter, Braian Paiz, still face prosecution for supplying narcotics to Mr. Payne in the days leading up to his death.
Mr. Paiz and Mr. Pereyra were arrested after Judge Bruniard said preventative detention was needed; the charge they face carries a sentence of four to 15 years in prison.
Mr. Paiz’s lawyer, Fernando Madeo, said in December that 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.
Payne had cocaine and alcohol in his system.
A toxicology report from tests taken after an autopsy said that Mr. Payne had cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he died, the prosecutor’s office announced. The authorities said he received at least four supplies of narcotics during his four-day stay at the hotel.
Forensic experts determined from the autopsy that he had died from falling from a balcony and that there were no signs of anyone else’s involvement. The prosecutor’s office said that the autopsy report indicated that Mr. Payne died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding” in the skull, chest, abdomen and limbs.
A 911 call was made moments before his death.
The Buenos Aires police released a recording of a 911 call that was placed minutes before Mr. Payne’s death. A man who identified himself as the hotel desk manager said on the call that a guest who appeared to have excessively consumed drugs and alcohol was “breaking everything in the room.”
The manager requested urgent assistance because the room had a balcony and hotel employees were “afraid he could do something that puts his life at risk.” The prosecutor’s office said investigators found broken objects and furniture in his hotel room, as well as what appeared to be narcotics and alcohol.
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