Liam Payne's Death Suspects, Including His Close Friend, Charged After Wide-ranging Investigation

Investigation into Liam Payne's death has led to charges against five suspects, including the singer's close friend Rogelio "Roger" Nores.

All five are believed to have played a part in the scenarios that led to the One Direction star's death, with some being accused of supplying him with narcotics.

At least two of the individuals linked to the Liam Payne death case have also been ordered into custody ahead of the next set of proceedings.

According to the news site Infobae, the investigation into Payne's death has led to five individuals facing a variety of charges.

One of the individuals is the singer's close friend, Rogelio "Roger" Nores, who had visited the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, where Payne stayed on the day of his death.

He is accused of negligent homicide, linked to claims that he abandoned Payne despite knowing the One Direction star was not in the best state when he left the location.

A second person charged is Braian Paiz, who reportedly met with the singer on multiple occasions before his death. Paiz is accused of supplying narcotics to Payne in the instances that they met; the same charge was brought against a third suspect, CasaSur employee Ezequiel Pereyra.

Additionally, hotel managers Gilda Martín and Esteban Grassi were charged with manslaughter, although the specific actions leading to these charges remain unclear.

According to the reports, the charged suspects have been summoned to court for the next proceedings in the case.

In the meantime, the court ordered Paiz and Pereyra into custody, meaning they will meet with their solicitors in jail unless they are granted bail.

Additionally, Nores and the other suspects not remanded have been prohibited from leaving Argentina until the case concludes.

For the charge of supplying narcotics, Paiz and Pereyra face sentences of up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. The other individuals also face similarly lengthy sentences if convicted when the case goes to trial.

The decision to charge all suspects was initially expected early in the new year after they were summoned for questioning just before Christmas. However, Argentinian Judge Laura Bruniard chose to proceed earlier, still within the 10-day limit required to decide whether to move forward with prosecutions or close the case.

Most of the suspects have chosen to remain publicly silent amid the investigation, except for Payne's alleged drug dealer, Paiz, and close friend, Nores.

Paiz previously told an Argentinian TV outlet that he never supplied drugs to the singer or accepted any form of payment from him.

"I never took drugs to him or accepted any money. I have messages where he's offering me money because he was apparently used to offering money for everything but I never accepted anything," he said during the interview, per the Daily Mail.

Nores also denied abandoning the singer, adding that he left him in good health on the day of his death.

"I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened," he said in a statement. "There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen."

According to a Rolling Stone report, Nores submitted a 91-page written response to an "indagatoria" called by the investigating judge where he claimed that Payne had struggled with drug addiction for the past two years and came "close to death" several times within that time frame.

In his bid to defend himself against the accusation, Nores alleged that the former One Direction member's addiction led to stints in rehab centers, as well as hospitalizations and two resuscitations.

"I was a friend who loved him very much, who helped him selflessly in everything I could, who spent my own money to help him, and even then, it was not enough," Nores wrote in Spanish in the document. "I do not consider that I deserve the accusation that is being leveled at me."

In the filing, he described a particular instance that happened in September 2023 where Payne "suffered from a severe intoxication that left him close to death," leading to his hospitalization for three days in Milan.

"Because of his addictions, Payne continued to attend rehab centers of his own free will in an attempt to overcome them," he noted. "Unfortunately, these treatments were not successful and his addiction worsened as he began to use harder drugs, such as heroin."

Earlier in the month, leaked texts emerged revealing how Payne relentlessly pressured the staff at CasaSur Palermo for alcohol and information on where to buy drugs during his final hours.

According to a report, one of the text messages revealed an encounter the singer had with an anonymous bellboy whom he insulted for failing to provide drug-buying tips.

"He invited me [in] to his room (which was a disaster, by the way) and asked me if I could get him cocaine," the bellboy said in the text,

When the bellboy told the singer that he could not get that "type of service," Payne reportedly called him "useless" and rudely requested that he leave his presence.

A separate text revealed Payne had also offered money to an escort to "party" at his hotel room.

"I have all day... I'd gift you $5,000... US dollars" read the leaked message from Payne from his WhatsApp. "You come to my hotel, we party, just me and [you]."

Payne has since been laid to rest, with his past boyband mates, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, attending his funeral.