Liam Payne's Friend and Workers at Hotel Where He Fell to His Death Cleared of Charges: Reports

Liam’s Payne’s friend and workers at the hotel where the singer died have reportedly been cleared of charges.

Rolling Stone and the BBC reported that Roger Nores, along with Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi, two employees of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel had charges against them dropped after a hearing in Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Court.

Nores, Martin and Grassi were charged with manslaughter in December relating to Payne’s death. They each would have faced one to five years in prison if found guilty, the BBC reported.

Ezequiel Pereyra and Braian Paiz, who have been accused of selling Payne drugs, will remain in prison as they await trial. If convicted, they could face four to 14 years behind bars.

“Glad this is finally over,” Nores told Rolling Stone. “I’m happy I’m now going to be able to travel to the UK and say goodbye to my friend.” Per the Argentina Court of Appeals ruling, obtained by Rolling Stone, Nores was not involved in the late singer “obtaining or consuming alcohol” and wouldn’t have been able to prevent Payne’s 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 ruling stated.

“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.”

Nores had been charged in December after prosecutors alleged he failed “to fulfill his duties of care, assistance and help” for Payne after he allegedly “abandoned him,” aware that the singer suffered from “multiple addictions.”

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The court also ruled that Nores’ responsibility was no different than Payne’s family, referring to an email Nores sent to Payne’s father in August 2024 where he shared his concern for the One Direction alum.

“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 court docs stated.

Per prosecutors, Martin, head of security at CasaSur Palmero Hotel, had been initially accused of failure to prevent Payne from going up to his hotel room before his death.

Prosecutors also claimed that Grassi, the chief receptionist who called emergency services just before Payne died, asked three people to “drag” Payne, who was unable to stand, to his hotel room instead of keeping him safe.

The judges determined that there was not enough evidence against the CasaSur Palermo employees to have engaged in “thoughtless, reckless, or merely negligent behavior” regarding Payne’s death.

Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after falling from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel’s balcony. He was 31 years old.

A preliminary autopsy after he died stated that he died of multiple injuries and “internal and external” hemorrhages. According to his toxicology report released in November, Payne had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his body.

Per the BBC, in January, his cause of death was confirmed by an inquest in the UK as “polytrauma,” according to a hearing in December at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.