Prosecutors investigating the death of Liam Payne have ruled out that the late singer died by suicide, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office in Argentina said in a press release Thursday.
Officials noted that they came to this decision after concluding that Payne was likely unconscious when he fell to his death from a third-story balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on Oct. 16 given that there was a lack of “self-preservation reflex.”
That information combined with “other relevant data” about the amount of drugs he consumed leading up to his death, as noted in his toxicology report, allowed them to conclude Payne was not “fully conscious” or was in a state of “decrease or loss of consciousness” and therefore did not intentionally mean to fall.
This situation would “rule out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on the part of the victim, since, in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing nor could he understand it,” the prosecutor’s office said in their statement translated from Spanish to English.
Officials said in a previous statement that they believed the “Night Changes” singer was alone in his hotel room when suffered his fatal fall, so it is not believed that anyone pushed him, either.
However, three people were charged Thursday in connection to Payne’s death, as prosecutors believe the suspects engaged in illegal activity that may have contributed to the pop star’s untimely passing.
Prosecutors charged Payne’s “friend” — whose identity has not been disclosed but reportedly identified himself as the singer’s manager — with abandonment for allegedly breaching his duty of care.
Police reportedly tried to reach the businessman after Payne died via a cell phone he had given hotel staff but he did not pick up officers’ calls. He also allegedly failed to inform Payne’s family of his drug relapse.
The friend faces five to 15 years in prison, per the prosecutor’s office press release.
Rogelio “Roger” Nores — a man said to have been with the troubled star in his final hours — has tried to distance himself from the accusations, claiming Thursday that he “never abandoned” Payne.
The two other suspects are an unnamed hotel employee and alleged drug dealer who have been charged with supplying Payne with narcotics.
The “Story of My Life” singer’s toxicology report showed he took pink cocaine, a drug cocktail typically mixed with ecstasy, ketamine, caffeine and a psychedelic, before he died.
Photos investigators took of his trashed hotel room also showed drug paraphernalia scattered all over a table, including clonazepam, which is used for epilepsy, involuntary muscle spasms or panic disorders.
Police are also investigating two women who identified themselves as prostitutes and testified under oath that they drank booze with Payne in his hotel room in the hours leading up to his death.
Argentine news outlet La Nación reported Thursday that one of the escorts allegedly could not give a straight answer when asked whether the “Strip That Down” singer invited them to the CasaSur Hotel or a hotel employee did, prompting investigators to take a closer look at what else they may have lied about.
Payne’s death investigation is ongoing, but his cause of death has been attributed to the multiple traumas, internal and external bleeding he sustained as a result of his fatal fall.
Page Six exclusively confirmed Wednesday that the “What Makes You Beautiful” signer’s body had been flown to his homeland of England by his father, Geoff Payne, for his burial.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or suicide, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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