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Liam Payne had multiple close calls with death months before his deadly fall… Or so says his controversial friend.
Rogelio “Roger” Nores is one of three people charged with abandoning the One Direction member to his death before he fell from the balcony of his room at the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires two months ago. The friend denied the allegations, saying he “never abandoned Liam.” He maintains the hotel was at fault for Liam’s passing — not him! However, prosecutors aren’t buying it. They feel Roger is at least partially to blame for what happened. Whether the judge agrees? We’ll have to wait and see. That’s the next thing for the magistrate to determine, and why they ordered the defendants to be questioned.
Related: Witness To Liam Payne’s Death Describes Most ‘Haunting’ Moment Of His Fall
During an interview over Zoom Tuesday, all three — Nores, alleged drug supplier Braian Nahuel Paiz, and an unidentified hotel worker — refused to talk. They have a right not to respond to questions and instead submit written responses, which is exactly what Liam’s friend did on Wednesday.
The document contained his testimony about the singer’s alleged drug history, and its heartbreaking stuff, Perezcious readers. Liam was open about his struggles with substance abuse and his mental health. However, there was apparently so much about it we did not know. Prepare yourselves. Roger wrote in a court filing obtained by Rolling Stone on Thursday:
“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. I do not consider that I deserve the accusation that is being leveled at me.”
Hmm…
According to Nores, Liam entered into rehab several times in the months before his death. However, the treatments did not help and he only fell further into his addiction. The Teardrops artist allegedly started to consume harder drugs like heroin, which almost killed him. Several times.
OMG…
Nores claimed Liam was hospitalized for three days in Milan because he “suffered from a severe intoxication that left him close to death” in September 2023. The X-Factor UK alum allegedly checked into rehab due to the health scare and subsequently had to cancel a Latin American tour. At the time, Liam announced the postponement of the tour due to a “bad kidney infection.” It turned out the situation was a lot worse than anyone knew, though. Nores continued:
“Because of his addictions, Payne continued to attend rehab centers of his own free will in an attempt to overcome them. Unfortunately, these treatments were not successful and his addiction worsened as he began to use harder drugs, such as heroin.”
Nores alleged Liam was hospitalized twice again in late 2023, both times in London, due to his “high levels of intoxication,” and he needed life-saving measures performed on him again:
“Professionals had to resort to resuscitation maneuvers to save his life, without his family or friends being able to do anything to avoid these situations or help him.”
So scary!!! At the beginning of 2024, Liam’s addiction allegedly worsened. Nores claimed the Strip that Down artist entered rehab in Spain in March but did not complete treatment, choosing to leave early. He then allegedly went back to using drugs.
The following month, Nores recalled Liam needing to be resuscitated again due to a near overdose. Awful. Nores said:
“Liam suffered a new relapse in his addiction, so he was again taken to the hospital in serious condition, and the professionals had to resort to resuscitation maneuvers to save his life.”
The court docs stated that Liam’s dad Geoff tried to get him into a psychiatric treatment center. However, Liam refused to go — opting to seek help in the US instead. Nores claimed his family and friends allowed him to use drugs before he returned to the States to “avoid that he become violent.” It is unknown when all of this happened, but Roger noted Liam did not take any substances over the summer, including during his trip to Argentina when he saw Louis Tomlinson’s show.
Things changed by the beginning of August, though. Nores said he had a “strong argument” with Liam because he didn’t want the singer to return to Manchester as he relapsed. The pal says he even reached out to Liam’s dad and attorney to express his concerns. And there’s proof. Per an August 23 email obtained by Rolling Stone, Nores wrote that he was “really concerned for his well-being” in the UK and needed to take a step back from the situation, adding:
“I hope you can bring professional doctors to check on his health regularly as soon as possible as I did while he was out in the US. I am going to stay fully out of the picture and disconnected from now on and I wish you all the best with Liam’s health and career.”
However, Roger did not fully disconnect, as we know. He was with Liam on the day of the tragedy. While prosecutors say Nores abandoned his friend despite knowing he couldn’t care for himself, he argued in the filing that he isn’t a doctor, lawyer, or representative responsible for Liam. He further claimed Liam was fine and “greeting fans” when he left the hotel on the day of his death. Just as he had done before, Nores pointed fingers at the hotel staff. He feels if they hadn’t carried him into his room “by force’ and “left him in the lobby and a doctor had been called while they saw him convulsing” instead, “none of this would have happened.”
Wow…
There’s no denying that Liam was going through a lot, and that a lot people may have failed him leading up to his death. Heartbreaking. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
[Image via WENN]
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