Five people have been charged over Liam Payne’s death. One of them was his close friend.

Liam Payne tragically passed on October 16, falling from a third-floor balcony in a Buenos Aires hotel. 

Now, Local Argentinian online newspaper Infobae has reported that five people have been charged by a judge and two have been remanded in custody in relation to Payne's death.

Amongst those charged is Payne's friend Roger Nores, who allegedly left the singer at his hotel approximately an hour before he died. Per Infobae, Nores is facing charges of negligent homicide.

Braian Paiz, a waiter who confessed to using drugs, including cocaine, with Payne, has allegedly been charged with drug trafficking for payment. Additionally, hotel staff member Ezequiel Pereyra is said to be charged with supplying narcotics.

Two hotel managers, Gilda Martín and Esteban Grassi, have also been charged with manslaughter.

The investigation has found that Payne was not "fully conscious" when he fell to his death and was experiencing a "state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness". 

They shared, "The victim did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself from the fall, so, for the moment, it can be inferred that he could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness."

He was under the influence of drugs at the time, but prosecutors say that there was no "conscious or voluntary act" on behalf of Payne that led to the fall.

Listen to The Quicky discuss Liam Payne's death here. Post continues below.

Police conducted a series of raids in November, numbering as many as nine, to look into how this devastating situation unfolded. They accrued over 800 hours of video footage from security cameras and analysed several dozen testimonies from family, friends, hotel staff, medical professionals, biochemists and psychiatrists.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ raids on two hotel workers were carried out on, with the outlet also claiming lockers of the staffers at the hotel where Liam died were also searched.

A forensic extraction of Payne's mobile phone also took place, where calls, messages and chats on social networks were analysed.

The police's investigation focused on reconstructing the days that Payne stayed at the Casa Sur hotel, between October 13 and 16. 

They simultaneously confirmed that "self-harm of any kind and/or physical intervention by third parties were ruled out."

They also confirmed that Payne was using a 'polydrug' of "alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant" in the lead up to his fall. 

Once the investigators were comfortable with their findings, Payne's body was given back to his father, Geoff, last weekend for burial.

Police are continuing to explore other elements of the case, including unlocking and accessing Payne's laptop, which was broken.

-With AAP

This article was originally published in November 2024 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature image: Getty