One Direction fans had a terrible shock in October 2024. Beloved boy band member Liam Payne passed away after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It was a desperately tragic situation. Payne had been highly intoxicated at the time, having struggled with substance abuse for a significant portion of his life. He had been speaking about his troubles in interviews, and seemed to be working towards a healthier outlook. But one terrible night, and it was all over.
As the entertainment world mourned Payne’s death, Argentine authorities began an investigation. Today, Judge Laura Bruniard made the decision to proceed to the trial stage and five people have been charged in connection with the death. They are referred to in court documents by their initials, but their full names are known to the press by this point.
Businessman Rogelio Nores, known as “Roger” and a native of Argentina, has been described as a good friend of Payne. He’s been charged with manslaughter after, according to court documents seen by the BBC, “abandon[ing] [Payne] to his luck knowing that he was incapable of fending for himself and knowing that he suffered from multiple addictions.” The charge also states that Nores did not “fulfill his duties of care, assistance and help.”
Nores has previously said he did not believe he was responsible for Payne’s death, stating after the tragedy, “I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen.”
Also charged with manslaughter are the hotel Casa Sur’s manager Gilda Martin, and receptionist Esteban Grassi. Martin was the one who put in the initial call to the police the night of Payne’s death. She allegedly failed to keep Payne in a safe environment once he became intoxicated. Grassi likewise is being held responsible for returning Payne to the hotel room with the balcony, even allegedly getting others to “drag” him up there.
Two people have been charged with supplying drugs to Payne. One of these is Braian Paiz, whose lawyer Fernando Madeo has been protesting his innocence. He claims that though Paiz took drugs with Payne, Paiz did not supply them. In an interview with Argentine news site Todo Noticias, as reported by the Mirror, Madeo said, “Braian was a lifelong One Direction fan and tried to talk to [Payne] to get to know him. He wasn’t the dealer. You wouldn’t talk for so many hours in a private setting if you were. My client had drugs for personal use, they got together once and got high together. When he went to the hotel where Liam was, he already had drugs.”
The second person accused of supplying is Ezequiel Pereyra, an employee at the Casa Sur. He has not made any comment to the media so far. He and Paiz could potentially face up to fifteen years in prison if found guilty.
The judge had stated that she believes that Nores, Martin, and Grassi did not actually intend to cause harm to Payne. But, needless to say, the situation has been utterly devastating for all those who loved him. We can only hope that the charges bring them some form of closure.
Published: Dec 30, 2024 10:38 am