Five people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne, Argentine authorities have announced.
Payne died on 16 October after falling from a hotel balcony in the capital, Buenos Aires.
Here’s what we know so far about the police investigation and the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death.
Why was Liam in Argentina?
Payne was visiting his former bandmate Niall Horan, who was in the country on tour.
He posted on Snapchat earlier in October that he was visiting Horan for a catch-up, saying: “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken, we’ve got a lot to talk about.” He added: “No bad vibes or anything like that, but we need to talk.”
Payne attended Horan’s show, posting social media videos of himself and girlfriend Kate Cassidy singing and dancing at the concert.
He documented much of his trip on Snapchat, including pictures of food, plans to play polo, and jokes about his hair.
We also know the pop star visited a friend’s house in Argentina in the days before he died, again with Cassidy.
But when Payne fell to his death, Cassidy had already left the country.
What happened on the day he died?
Payne had been staying in the upmarket Casa Sur hotel for three days before his death.
[BBC]
A call was made to emergency services around 17:00 local time (21:00 BST) on 16 October by staff, with requests to respond to a hotel guest “who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol” and “destroying his room”.
“I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. But he has a room with a balcony and we’re a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” said the hotel’s front desk manager in a second call.
Hotel staff on the emergency call highlighted that Payne was “destroying his room”, and police say they found the room in “total disorder”.
Local media later published pictures purportedly from his room, showing a TV with a broken screen, multiple bottles, cans, candles, aluminium foil and a half-full glass of champagne.
Payne’s room was on the third floor and had a balcony about 14m (45ft) above an interior courtyard.
It is thought he fell from the balcony at about 17:07 local time.
Police arrived minutes later. Hotel staff told them a loud sound had been heard in the courtyard, where Payne’s body was discovered.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, with the emergency services saying there had been “no possibility of resuscitation”.
What have official tests revealed?
An autopsy, which was carried out that evening, established that Payne suffered “multiple traumas” and “internal and external haemorrhaging”, with 25 injuries that were “consistent with a fall from a great height”.
On 7 November, the prosecutor’s office said toxicology tests revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body.
They also ruled out self-harm or physical intervention by a third party.
They said Payne didn’t adopt a posture to protect himself from the fall. That, along with other information, led them to conclude he was unconscious or semi-conscious when he fell.
They ruled out “a conscious or voluntary act”, saying he didn’t know what he was doing or didn’t understand it.
Prosecutors also said they had examined more than 800 hours of video footage from security cameras in the hotel and public roads; and had examined calls, messages and social media activity on Payne’s phone.
They also received dozens of testimonies from hotel staff, family members, friends and medical professionals. Among those interviewed were two women who had been with the singer at his hotel but left before his death.
What are the charges?
Five people have been charged in connection with Payne’s death.
-
Hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra is suspected of having sold Payne cocaine on 15 and 16 October
-
Waiter Braian Paiz is also suspected of having sold cocaine to the singer twice on 14 October
-
Payne’s friend Roger Nores is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly “failing to fulfil his duties of care, assistance and help” towards the singer after having “abandoned him to his luck knowing that he was incapable of fending for himself and knowing that he [Payne] suffered from multiple addictions”
-
Hotel manager Gilda Martin is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly failing to stop Payne from being taken to his hotel room moments before his death. According to court papers, given Payne’s state, the room’s balcony posed a “serious threat” and the manager should have ensured Payne was kept in a safe place until medical help arrived
-
Chief receptionist Esteban Grassi is also suspected of manslaughter for allegedly asking three people to “drag” Payne, who could not stand up, to his room, instead of keeping him safe
Full coverage of the death of Liam Payne:
