Prosecutors charge 5 in Liam Payne's death in Argentina

Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Prosecutors in Argentina on Monday charged five people in connection with the October death of One Direction singer Liam Payne.

Gilda Martin, the hotel manager; Esteban Grassi, its receptionist; and Payne's friend Roger Nores, were all charged with manslaughter, while hotel worker Ezequiel Pereyra and hotel waiter Braian Paiz, were charged with supplying drugs.

Judge Laura Bruniard said that while she did not believe Martin, Grassi, and Nores did not intend to take Payne's life yet created the conditions to that put his life at risk.

Nores said in a previous statement that he was not involved in Payne's death.

"I never abandoned Liam," Nores said. "I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. I could never have imagined something like this would happen."

Payne, who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Oct. 15, had drugs and alcohol in his system at the time of his death, a report showed.

Prosecutors said in November that Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body, according to toxicology reports. He died of "internal and external hemorrhage" as the result from the fall.