Five people have been charged by Argentinean criminal authorities in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction member who died in October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
Three of the individuals were charged with negligent homicide and face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, while the other two were charged with supplying drugs and could face a prison sentence of four to 15 years, according to Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office.
Payne died Oct. 16 after he fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Police were dispatched to the hotel after receiving a call about an aggressive man who may have been under the influence. When they arrived, they found Payne’s body in a hotel courtyard and confirmed his death.
An investigation launched soon after. Three unnamed individuals were arrested on charges in November after investigators discovered “illicit conduct,” prosecutors said.
The five people charged Friday were not named by prosecutors in a press release published Monday, but were identified by their initials — “RLN,” “GAM,” “ERG,” “EDP” and “BNP.”
RLN, described by police as a representative of Payne on his trip, along with hotel manager GAM and head of reception ERG, were all charged with “culpable homicide,” which prosecutors define as when someone “through imprudence, negligence, lack of skill in their art or profession or failure to observe the regulations or duties in their charge causes the death of another.” They face one to five years in prison.
According to prosecutors, the three individuals were each charged for different reasons: RLN allegedly abandoned Payne at the hotel, while GAM allegedly failed to stop Payne from being taken to his hotel room and ERG asked people to help drag Payne to his room.
The judge said RLN was responsible for the negligent homicide as the perpetrator because he took on the role of ensuring Payne’s safety and well-being for his family. Meanwhile, the hotel staff did not act maliciously, the judge said, but were reckless in helping and allowing Payne to get to his hotel room.
“The three people being prosecuted have contributed, although not in a planned manner, to create a risk that resulted in Payne’s death either by action or omission,” the judge said, according to the press release.
The two other individuals, described as a hotel employee (identified as EDP) and a waiter (BNP) were charged with supplying narcotics. Prosecutors allege that both EDP and BNP sold cocaine to Payne in the days before his death.
According to BBC News, all five individuals have been summoned to appear in court within 24 hours. The judge has also ordered the next phase of the proceedings to begin Friday, according to BBC News.
Payne’s death shocked the music community, as he had been a member of the popular boy band One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. The group was known for its hit songs that resonated with younger generations. The band released five studio albums and had four world tours.
Representatives for Payne did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rogelio Nores, a friend of Payne’s who was with him during the trip to Argentina, denied any involvement in what happened in a statement in November.
María Luisa Paúl contributed to this report.
