2 weeks ago
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Liam Payne's friend has continued to maintain his innocence amid the arrest of three unnamed suspects charged in connection with the singer's death.
On Thursday, Rogelio "Roger" Nores told the Daily Mail that he hasn't spoken to police since giving a witness statement following Payne's fall from a third-floor balcony in the hotel he stayed at in Buenos Aires. Nores has claimed he was with Payne minutes before he died.
"I never abandoned Liam," Nores said, according to his statement. "I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen."
He continued, "I wasn't Liam's manager, he was just my very dear friend. I'm really heartbroken with this tragedy, and I've been missing my friend every day."
Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office announced earlier this week that the three suspects that were arrested had been charged with abandonment of a person followed by death along with supply and facilitation of narcotics. One of the suspects is said to be "the person who accompanied the artist on a daily basis during his stay in the city of Buenos Aires."
The other suspect is a hotel housekeeper who was accused of delivering drugs hidden in a soap box to the singer, while the third is an alleged drug supplier. That individual and the hotel staffer are facing charges for dealing. An initial autopsy on Payne's body found multiple drugs in his system, including cocaine and ketamine.
It was reported that the singer's death would not be ruled a suicide. A press release on November 7 stated that ongoing medical analysis suggests Liam Payne was not fully conscious during his fall. The lack of self-preservation reflex and evidence of drug use indicate he was unaware of his actions, ruling out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act.
English (US) ·