Rogelio “Roger” Nores, who was a friend of Liam Payne, as well as two hotel workers from CasaSur Palermo, had their manslaughter charges dropped by the Argentina Court of Appeals on Wednesday evening in the late One Direction singer’s ongoing death investigation.
Rolling Stone first obtained the extensive ruling. Nores told the publication he is “glad this is finally over” and added he was happy he would be able to return to the U.K. to “say goodbye to my friend.”
The panel of three judges ultimately ruled that Nores did not play a role in Payne consuming or obtaining alcohol and could not have prevented the singer’s October 2024 death.
“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 judges ruling reads. “But it can not 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.”
The judges also referenced an Aug. 23 email from Nores to Payne’s father where he expressed his growing concern for the One Direction singer.
“Despite accusing Nores of failing to communicate and raise alarms with the victim’s family, they remained silent about the email through which the accused had expressed his concerns and warned that he would not be able to look after Payne’s health,” the ruling reads.
Nores’ lawyer, Rafael Cuneo Libarona, was happy with the ruling and reiterated the judges decision saying, “He was only his friend and had no duty or legal obligation to ensure his safety.”
Hotel workers Gilda Martin, head of security, and Esteban Grassi, the chief receptionist, were also cleared of all charges. Grassi made an emergency call just before Payne died. The judges ruled there was not enough proof that they engaged in “thoughtless, reckless or merely negligent behavior.”
Nores, Marin and Grassi would have faced prison sentences of one to five years if convicted. Prosecutors still have the option to appeal the dismissal of charges but have not announced whether they will do so.
Ezequiel David Pereyra and Braian Nahuel Paiz remain behind bars on drug selling charges. The pair are accused of supplying Payne with the drugs that led to his deadly fall and face four to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Payne died on Oct. 16 after falling from his third floor balcony while unconscious. The ruling maintained the cause of death but said “it is unknown whether it 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.”
“Only, thanks to medical reports, some assumptions have been made about their mental condition at the time of the fall, based on the absence of defensive or protective marks at the moment of the impact,” the ruling read.
Payne was reportedly in Argentina to see former 1D bandmate Niall Horan perform in concert when he died, according to the AP and local Argentine media. He was 31.
Rolling Stone was first to report the news.
Source link
