A representative for Liam Payne has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the One Direction veteran's death in October, Argentine officials confirmed Monday.
The Argentine Prosecutor's Office for Penal and Correctional Institutions announced this in Spanish opinion that Judge Laura Graciela Bruniard on Friday prosecuted five people for their alleged involvement in the pop singer's death. Payne's representative (identified as “RLN”) and the manager and receptionist of the Buenos Aires hotel where the British singer fell to his death have been charged with manslaughter.
Another hotel employee and a waiter who Payne met at a restaurant were charged with allegedly supplying the singer with narcotics.
Payne, an “X Factor” alum who was one-fifth of global boy band sensation One Direction, died Oct. 16 after falling from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. He was 31 years old. Shortly after his death, authorities determined that the singer had died from multiple traumas as well as internal and external bleeding as a result of the fall.
Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he fell, officials announced in November. Prosecutors at the time said they were considering ruling out the possibility of suicide.
In Monday's announcement, prosecutors detailed the defendants' alleged role in Payne's death. The hotel employee (identified as “EDP”) and the waiter (“BNP”) allegedly supplied Payne with cocaine on several occasions during his stay in Buenos Aires. Payne died two weeks after arriving in Argentina, where he attended a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan on October 2nd.
Monday's announcement said Payne's representatives “failed to fulfill their duties of care, assistance and assistance to the singer.” Prosecutors claimed RLN abandoned the singer despite knowing he was “unable to care for himself” and already knowing about Payne's struggle with addiction.
The prosecution detailed the alleged incident involving Payne carried to his room on the third floor by a group of three people before his death. The hotel manager (identified as “GAM”) and the hotel's receptionist (“ERG”), who allegedly led the group, should have kept Payne “in a safe area, out of danger, in company and until he could be made available.” medical care,” said the public prosecutor’s office.
Bruniard, the judge, said Monday that the hotel managers “did not act maliciously” in connection with Payne's death, “but they were reckless in allowing him to be taken to or driven to his room.”
“They created a legally disapproved risk, and Payne’s death is the recognition of that risk,” Bruniard said.
RLN was “responsible for the crime of manslaughter… as he had acted as a surety to Payne's family,” Bruniard added.
Ultimately, Payne's representatives and the hotel managers “contributed, although not in a planned manner, through action or inaction, to creating a risk that resulted in Payne's death,” Monday's statement said.
The two people accused of supplying drugs to Payne before his death have been remanded in custody. According to the prosecutor's office, RLN and the two hotel managers were charged without pretrial detention.
More than a month after Payne's death, his former bandmates, family and friends gathered for a memorial service in England. Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Horan attended the ceremony northwest of London. Also in attendance were “X Factor” judges Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole (who has a young son with Payne), as well as his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Although Payne is best known for his work with One Direction, he also pursued a solo career after the boy band went on hiatus in 2016. As a soloist, he released the songs “Strip That Down”, “Bedroom Floor” and “Teardrops” and teamed up with artists such as Quavo, Ed Sheeran and Charlie Puth.
Payne also spoke openly about his struggles with mental health and addiction. In a YouTube Vlog shared in 2023He revealed that he has been sober for six months.
Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.