Three people at the center of the investigation into Liam Payne’s death have had their charges fully dropped, a panel of judges in Argentina ruled Wednesday evening.
In the court ruling obtained by Rolling Stone, Argentina’s Court of Appeals ruled Payne’s friend, Roger Nores, who was charged with manslaughter, was not responsible for Payne “obtaining and consuming alcohol,” and could not have prevented Payne’s death in the hours leading up to the incident.
“It is possible that, if he had stayed in his company at all times, [Payne] would not have obtained the drugs and alcohol in the quantities necessary for the state of intoxication he exhibited at the time of his death,” the ruling read. “But it cannot be ruled out that, even if he had taken those extreme precautions… that [Payne] would have managed to obtain the substances anyway, as is common among addicts, even when they are under the loving care of their family.”
Following the ruling, Nores told Rolling Stone, “Glad this is finally over. I’m happy I’m now going to be able to travel to the UK and say goodbye to my friend.”
The judges also ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that two Casa Sur Palermo Hotel workers, Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi, acted “thoughtless, reckless, or merely negligent behavior” in the lead-up before Payne’s death.
The rulings clear Nores, Grassi, and Martin of wrongdoing and responsibility in Payne’s death, stating that the “formation of this case does not affect their good name and honor.”
The judges explained, “It is unknown whether [Payne’s death] was due to a clumsy maneuver on [Payne’s] part near the railing or in the vicinity, or if it happened because they lost consciousness and fell into the void as dead weight.”
However, the two men accused of supplying drugs to Payne will remain in custody as they await a trial.
Payne, a former member of British pop group One Direction died in October 2024 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room. Payne was 31.
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