The investigation into Liam Payne’s death has taken a dramatic turn.
The former One Direction singer tragically died aged just 31 last month. He fell from the third floor of a hotel. An autopsy ruled that Liam had died instantly after his fall which caused “multiple traumatic injuries” and subsequently led to “internal and external haemorrhage.”
But eight weeks later, cops investigating his death remain just as baffled as they did when the case was opened. On Tuesday, it emerged that that local law enforcements had been probing five people after two more workers at the hotel Liam was staying at have officially been put under investigation.
Those being investigated have been named as Roger Nores, Braian Paiz, hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra, hotel secutity Esteban Reynaldo Grassi and manager Gilda Martín. Earlier this week, judge Laura Bruinard ordered that footage of Liam’s fall which was captured on CCTV should be reviewed – eight weeks after his death. Authorities will examine the video which had previously not been shared.
But what do we know about Liam’s death and those involved? Just moments before Liam’s death, the singer was seen “convulsing” in the lobby of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel before being carried to his hotel room. Despite their concerns regarding his welfare, the staff left Liam alone.
However, they went on to make a 911 call, demanding urgent medical assistance stating that Liam’s life may be in danger. Just moments later, Liam fell over his balcony and hit his head on the base of an umbrella in the court yard of the restaurant below his room.
During the distressing call, the hotel employee stated that they feared Liam’s life was in danger as he could escape from the balcony. Reports claim that the One Direction star had been attempting to scale the balcony and plan an escape from his room which went wrong.
Liam’s friend, Roger Nores is being investigated under suspicion of abandonment – a claim he denies. Meanwhile, Others are being investigated for facilitation of narcotics. Last week, a judge ruled in favour of Madrea as the existing suspects and two more were summoned for questioning.
According to local media, Grassi stated that Liam had “stayed alone” at the swanky hotel and the only time somebody other than staff went to his room was on the day that he died. He said: “The only time someone else came in was the day of his death . I saw Payne come in and out of the hotel a few times, but as I said, he didn’t show himself much.”
He went on to add that Liam would call reception “insistently to ask for alcohol all the time and asking where he could get dugs, more specifically cocaine.” However, the staff at the hotel repeatedly told Payne that they were only able to supply alcohol and couldn’t assist him getting his hands on illegal substances.
On November 7, a press release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office said that the singer’s toxicological results were shared with his family and showed that he had traces of “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system. The release said: “This conclusion was reached after the complete toxicology tests on urine, blood and vitreous humor.”
Grassi later revealed that when a member of staff took a plate of fruit to Liam’s room, he opened the door and asked if he had cocaine. In official documents, he added: “Benítez replied that he didn’t and then Payne began to insult him. The employee left without saying anything, but he automatically notified me of what had happened.”
It has since emerged that Liam branded the hotel employee “useless” and told him to “get out of his sight.” The hotel worker reported the incident to Grassi and Gilda as Liam had asked for his name. “I felt a bit threatened because he didn’t behave very politely,” he told his colleague.
The hotel security also confirmed that two sex workers had visited Liam after he had hired their services. Upon their arrival at his room, Liam is said to have called down to reception and placed an order for $300 as well as alcohol. After an hour with the women, they came down with Liam and stayed in the lobby to chat.
However, concerns were raised when they alerted staff that Payne had smashed the television in his swanky suite at the hotel. Things took a more drastic turn though as Liam had asked Grassi to be a translator for him as he didn’t speak Spanish. The two women who spoke to Grassi claimed that Liam had owed them $5,000 – despite his previous demand for $300. “I thought it was suspicious because he had previously asked me for $300, and although I’m not an expert on the subject, I thought the amount they were asking for was a bit excessive,” he said.
But text messages, allegedly from Payne exchanged over WhatsApp showed that the late singer had asked the first woman: “Wanna play” adding that he had “all day”. A later message read: “I’d gift you $5000 US dollars,” before he asked if she wanted to bring her friend.
The woman later demanded $5,000 each, which Liam said was “a lot”, adding that he would “bank transfer” the funds. During Liam’s final moments in the hotel, he is said to have appeared in the lobby “staring into space, totally drunk,” adding: “It was obvious that he was not well.”
The updates come after judge Laura Bruinard ordered the Special Technological Investigations Division of the Superintendency for the Fight against Cybercrime of the City Police to carry out a further 22 examinations on different phones and electronic devices held by the suspects and witnesses following a series of raids.
Roger Nores, a friend of Payne is being investigated under suspicion of abandonment – a claim he denies. Meanwhile, Others are being investigated for facilitation of narcotics. The interviews will take place between December 17 and December 19, over Zoom, following which Bruinard will have ten days to make a decision over whether to prosecute the defendants, or acquit them. Currently, Roger Nores’ iPhone and a laptop belonging to Liam are to be examined, despite being seized during previous raids.
During raids, the phones of two suspects and one from one of the sex workers who visited Liam had been seized. Elsewhere, a raid on the home of the second sex worker in Tigre also discovered five more devices which were subsequently seized. Local reports last week said prosecutors were considering bringing manslaughter charges against the hotel employees filmed carrying Liam out of the lobby shortly before his drink and drug-fuelled balcony plunge.
The waiter, accused of being Liam’s ‘drug dealer’ told journalist Guillermo Panizza on Telefe Noticias last month he had consumed marijuana and Liam had taken cocaine during their second hotel rendezvous shortly before the singer’s death. But he insisted: “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.”
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