Five people have been charged in connection with the death of British singer Liam Payne, according to a statement from the public prosecutor’s office in Argentina on Monday.
Payne fell to his death from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16, with a toxicology report saying Payne had alcohol, narcotics and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he died.
The prosecutor’s office last month said they were able to rule out the possibility of suicidebecause Payne was not in a state to know or understand the consequences of his actions.
Payne’s manager and employees at hotel charged with manslaughter Payne’s manager, the manager of the hotel, and the head of reception at the hotel where Payne stayed, have been charged with manslaughter in relation to Payne’s death. They could face up to five years in prison if convicted.
Payne’s manager, identified only by his initials “RLN,” left the hotel less than an hour before the fall. The judge argued that he should not have entrusted the hotel employees with Payne’s wellbeing.
An employee at the hotel and a local server are accused of supplying Payne with cocaine during his stay and face up to 15 years in prison. The judge ordered them jailed ahead of trial.
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Judge says employees at hotel failed the pop star moments before his death “Taking Payne up to his room in the state he was in was to put his life at risk,” the judge said in her decision, which was released with the prosecutor’s statement. “It was obvious that he was vulnerable.”
“Payne’s consciousness was altered and there was a balcony in the room. The proper thing to do was to leave him in a safe place and in company until a doctor arrived,” the judge said.
Investigators have analyzed more than 800 hours of footage from security video cameras at the hotel and public roads.
Reuters said footage from the hotel showed unconscious Payne being carried up to his room by three people moments before his death.
Family members, friends and former bandmates paid tribute to the pop star at a private funeral service held in England last month. Payne was 31 and leaves behind his seven-year-old son, Bear.
rm/wd (Reuters, AFP)
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