Five people have been charged in connection to the death of former One Direction star Liam Payne, according to Argentina’s prosecutor’s office.
Payne fell to his death from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires in October at 31-years-old. He died from injuries sustained as well as “internal and external” hemorrhages from the fall. Authorities said that Payne did not have a “reflex posture” to protect himself from the fall, leading them to believe that he “may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
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According to the prosecutor’s office, a person identified as Payne’s “representative,” as well as the hotel’s manager and its head of reception, were charged with manslaughter, and if convicted, they could face up to five years in prison. Additionally, a hotel employee and a local waiter were charged with supplying Payne with cocaine during his stay; a judge has ordered them to be jailed ahead of a trial, where they face up to 15 years in prison.
At this time, the court has not disclosed the identities of the accused, aside from their professional roles in relation to Payne.
Last month, Argentine prosecutors said Payne had alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants in his system before his death. Judge Laura Bruniard, who is overseeing the case, concluded that Payne was in a state of intoxication that led him to confuse the balcony of his hotel room as a possible exit, and as he tried to leave through the balcony, he fell to his death — accidentally.
Reports, testimonies, and footage from cameras in the hotel showed that Payne had been in the hotel lobby in a state of intoxication just minutes before his fall, and he was “dragged” by three people to his room, the judge said.
According to the judge, the hotel manager is accused of witnessing Payne in the lobby and “enabling, at least by omission,” the transfer to his room that had a balcony, which was a “risk” for Payne. The receptionist is accused of guiding a group of three people who dragged Payne from the lobby to his room, as he should have been moved to “an area without sources of danger, in company and until he was provided with medical care,” the judge said.
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His representative is accused of leaving the hotel nearly an hour before his fall, despite knowledge of Payne’s vulnerable state, and “failed to fulfill his duties of care, assistance, and aid.”
While the hotel manager, receptionist, and representative are accused of manslaughter, the judge determined that they did not act together, nor was it a planned event.
Payne rose to fame in 2008 with One Direction after auditioning for the “ X Factor” in the UK. The band received global stardom with chart-topping hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “You and I,” and “Story of My Life.” Following the band’s hiatus in 2015, Payne — along with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson — went on to embark on solo careers. Payne released a single early last year.
