Liam Payne's death: New developments explored as judge clears charges against One Direction singer's friend and two other hotel workers

Former One Direction member Liam Payne died on October 16 last year, and the investigation into his death has now witnessed a new development where the accusations of manslaughter imposed against three people dropped on February 20, 2025.

According to Page Six, the individuals charged with alleged connection to Liam Payne's death included Liam's friend Rogelio "Roger" Nores, the manager of Hotel CasaSur Palermo Gilda Martin alongside receptionist Esteban Grassi, and Braian Paiz and Ezequiel Pereyra, who were employed at the same hotel.

As per the latest update, the charges against Gilda, Esteban, and Rogelio have been dropped, while the other two remain in custody. The news was first revealed by Rolling Stone. Notably, Braian and Ezequiel were accused of reportedly providing drugs to Liam.

Liam Payne was battling addiction problems over the years, and Nores was acquitted for not being able to help Payne at the time. As per an interview with Daily Mail the following month, Norres affirmed that he never left Liam and that he visited the singer a few times at the hotel., saying:

"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. I've given my statement to the prosecutor on October 17 as a witness and I haven't spoken to any police officer or prosecutor ever since."

Rogelio clarified that he was a close friend of Liam, adding that he has been heartbroken by everything that happened, and he misses Payne every day.

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Rogelio Nores shared the ruling that dropped the charges against him in alleged connection to Liam Payne's death

A report by Daily Mail in December last year stated that Rogelio had allegedly left Payne an hour before his death. While speaking to TMZ the same month, Liam Payne was fine and had also spoken to a few Americans who had come to the hotel for a wedding. Rogelio also mentioned:

"He was perfectly balanced, talking to everybody, having fun, laughing, so nothing out of the ordinary. So that's when I said, 'bye.' He seemed playful and happy. I went to the hotel three times to check on him. He seemed tipsy but nothing out of the ordinary."

The ruling stated that the prosecutors failed to provide anything that could have proved the allegations of him "supplying narcotics to Liam Payne."

Similar charges were imposed on Braian Paiz and Ezequiel Pereyra, and while dropping the accusations against Esteban Grassi and Gilda Martin, the ruling stated that the case won't leave an impact on the respectful life they deserve to live. The ruling additionally reads:

"Finally, just as it cannot be reasonably conceived that Nores could be required to take precautions that would go beyond the contractual relationship of the Casa Sur hotel and its managers with the person who was staying there – all of them adults and in unrestricted exercise of their legal capacities – much less could he be held responsible for the consequences of his acts."

Meanwhile, Rogelio, while speaking to Rolling Stone after the charges were dropped, said that he is glad he can now "travel to the UK" and say goodbye to Liam Payne. Rogelio's attorney, Rafael Cueno Liberona, also said in a statement that they have always claimed Rogelio's innocence and dismissed his association with Payne's death.

According to The Guardian, Liam Payne reportedly fell from the balcony of the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, and an investigation was immediately launched by the authorities as they checked into the CCTV footage of the hotel and computer hard drives.

Apart from being associated with One Direction, Payne released a solo album titled LP1.