Liam Payne’s Friend & 2 Hotel Employees Cleared Of Charges Related To Singer’s Death (Reports)

Liam Payne’s friend and two members of the staff at the hotel where he died have reportedly been cleared of their charges. BBC and Rolling Stone report that Rogelio “Roger” Nores, along with Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi, two employees from the hotel in Buenos Aires, had their manslaughter charges dropped after a hearing in Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Court on Feb. 20. All three were charged in December. If they were to have been found guilty, they would have each faced one to five years in prison, per the BBC. However, the outlet notes that Ezequiel Pereya and Braian Paiz, who have been accused of selling Payne the drugs, are still in prison while they await their trial. If they’re convicted, they could face between four to 14 years behind bars. Payne died on Oct. 16 after falling from the hotel’s third floor balcony in Buenos Aires. A translated autopsy report also noted that he had “alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant” in his body. The One Direction star was 31.