Liam Payne: Judge in Argentina charges 5 over death of ex-One Direction member

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A judge in Argentina on Monday confirmed that five people have been charged in connection with the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne, several local media outlets reported.

Payne, 31, died on Oct. 16 in Buenos Aires after falling from the third-floor balcony of the upscale Hotel Casa Sur, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Clarin and Infobae, two media outlets in Argentina, reported that the five people charged with manslaughter in the case include Rogelio “Roger” Nores, who has claimed to be a close friend of the musician and was with him on the day he died.

Nores denied any involvement in Payne’s death in a statement in November, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened,” Nores said. “I could never have imagined something like this would happen.”

A judicial officer confirmed the judge’s decision on Monday to The Associated Press. The officer said that one of the two people ordered to be placed under preventive prison -- which is a type of pretrial detention -- worked at the hotel.

The other person was a waiter Payne met in a restaurant, according to the AP.

Both persons face charges of supplying drugs, said the officer, who requested anonymity.

According to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, Hotel Casa Sur manager Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassimanslaughter, a hotel employee, are facing manslaughter charges. Two other staff members, Braian Paiz and Ezequiel Pereyra, have been charged with supplying drugs, the entertainment news websites reported.

Police have not confirmed the names of the people charged.

In November, prosecutors filed initial charges against three people, but they did not reveal their names, the AP reported.

An autopsy showed Payne died from “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” from the fall from the third-floor balcony. There were 25 injuries that correspond from falling from that height, including injuries to his head, thorax, abdomen and limbs, according to the report.

Payne’s funeral was held in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, in November, Deadline reported.

A message sent to the Buenos Aires prosecutor’s office was not immediately returned, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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