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The case later expanded to five defendants, then changed substantially. As of August 12, 2026, the three culpable-homicide cases had been dismissed on appeal. Two defendants still faced narcotics-supply allegations but had been released under conditions, while the separate UK coroner process remained pending. No final criminal conviction against the remaining defendants had been established in the available record.
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Liam Payne, 31, died on October 16, 2024, after falling from the third-floor balcony of room 310 at the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires. Police were called at approximately 5:10 p.m. following an emergency report about a person who had fallen. Medical personnel confirmed his death shortly afterward.
The Argentine investigation focused on two different questions: whether people around Payne failed in legally significant duties of care, and whether anyone supplied or facilitated the alleged use of narcotics. Those are not the same accusation, and the original three-person announcement did not mean that all three people had been charged with homicide.
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What the prosecutor announced on November 7, 2024
The prosecutor’s announcement described three people facing different allegations:
- Payne’s accompanying representative: Prosecutors alleged abandonment of a person followed by death, along with alleged narcotics supply or facilitation. The theory was that this person had pre-existing duties to provide care and assistance and knowingly left Payne in a vulnerable, intoxicated condition.
- A CasaSur hotel employee: Prosecutors alleged that the employee supplied cocaine to Payne on two occasions—one on October 15 and another on October 16, 2024.
- Another alleged supplier: Prosecutors accused another individual of supplying or facilitating narcotics. Later court proceedings identified that person as waiter Braian Paiz.
At that stage, these were investigative allegations. They were not convictions, and the announcement did not establish that the hotel employee or the alleged supplier legally caused Payne’s death.
Who were the five defendants in the expanded case?
In December 2024, Judge Laura Bruniard processed five defendants. In Argentine criminal procedure, being “processed” generally means that a judge found a sufficient basis for the case to proceed against an individual at that stage. It is a procedural ruling, not a final judgment of guilt.
| Defendant | Role described in the case | Allegation at that stage |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Nores | Payne’s representative or friend | Culpable homicide; he was also linked in the earlier investigation to alleged narcotics supply or facilitation |
| Gilda Martín | CasaSur hotel manager | Culpable homicide |
| Esteban Grassi | CasaSur head of reception | Culpable homicide |
| Ezequiel Pereyra | CasaSur hotel employee | Alleged supply of cocaine |
| Braian Paiz | Waiter | Alleged supply of cocaine |
The judge’s ruling placed the stated statutory range for the culpable-homicide allegations at one to five years. The alleged narcotics-supply offense was reported as carrying a range of four to fifteen years. Those ranges describe potential penalties under the allegations and do not predict an outcome.
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Ezequiel Pereyra
Prosecutors alleged that Pereyra supplied cocaine to Payne twice, including alleged transactions on October 15 and October 16. The allegation concerned supply; it was not a finding that Pereyra caused the fatal fall or intended Payne’s death.
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Braian Paiz
Prosecutors alleged that Paiz supplied cocaine on October 14. The allegations included an encounter in which he accompanied Payne to the hotel room, as well as another transaction connected with Payne visiting Paiz’s residence.
Both accounts remained allegations subject to adjudication. The existence of a transaction allegation, even if later proven, would not by itself answer the separate legal question of whether the conduct caused Payne’s death.
Why were the culpable-homicide cases dismissed?
In February 2025, Argentina’s appellate court confirmed the processing and preventive detention of Pereyra and Paiz, but dismissed the culpable-homicide cases against Nores, Martín, and Grassi.
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The appellate court said the evidence did not establish the required causal and culpable connection between the conduct attributed to the hotel managers and Payne’s fatal fall. In practical terms, the court found that the evidence did not support keeping those homicide allegations in place against the three defendants at that procedural stage.
This was not a ruling that no one had supplied narcotics, nor was it a final ruling that every factual allegation in the wider investigation was false. It specifically removed the culpable-homicide cases against Nores, Martín, and Grassi.
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What happened to the remaining two defendants?
Pereyra and Paiz remained associated with the Argentine criminal case on narcotics-supply allegations. Reporting in June 2025 indicated that the two were being sent toward trial on those allegations.
In December 2025, the two were placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring, according to a later account from the Buenos Aires judiciary. On March 25, 2026, Judge Karina Giselle Andrade granted both defendants immediate release.
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The court cited several factors: the prosecution acknowledged that the investigation was complete, the defendants had complied with the conditions imposed while under house arrest, and less restrictive measures were available. Their release conditions included:
- a prohibition on leaving Argentina;
- an obligation to report absences lasting longer than three days or any change of address; and
- monthly appearances before the specialized narcotics unit.
Release under conditions is not an acquittal. As of the latest official update located, Paiz and Pereyra were no longer incarcerated, but the available sources did not establish a final criminal judgment or conviction against either man.
The judiciary’s account also said that, during the detention dispute, the prosecution did not assert a causal connection between the alleged conduct of Paiz and Pereyra and Payne’s death. That procedural position should not be rewritten as a finding that the supply allegations were false or that the defendants had been acquitted.
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What is Roger Nores’s status?
Nores was no longer facing the culpable-homicide allegation after the February 2025 appellate dismissal. A separate narcotics-supply allegation involving Nores was definitively dismissed by Argentina’s Criminal Cassation Court on June 30, 2026, according to reporting on the ruling.
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The prosecution did not appeal within the applicable period, making Nores definitively outside the case on that separate drug-supply allegation. The available record therefore does not support describing Nores as a current defendant in the Argentine case.
What did the medical evidence show?
The Argentine investigation began with the fatal fall from the CasaSur hotel balcony. Later reporting on the autopsy described the cause of death as polytrauma and reported findings involving alcohol, cocaine-related substances, and sertraline.
Those medical findings help explain why investigators examined Payne’s condition and alleged narcotics supply. They do not, by themselves, establish who supplied any substance, when it was consumed, whether a particular defendant supplied it, or whether any defendant legally caused the death. Medical evidence and criminal responsibility are related questions, but they are not interchangeable.
Is there a separate UK inquest?
Yes. The Argentine criminal investigation and the UK coroner process are separate proceedings. At a May 7, 2026 pre-inquest review, Senior Coroner Crispin Butler was reported to still be awaiting reports, eyewitness statements, and other material from Argentina.
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That means the UK process had not reached a final inquest conclusion as of the latest authoritative update in the available record. It should not be described as having resolved the disputed questions of criminal responsibility.
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| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| October 16, 2024 | Payne died after falling from the third-floor balcony of room 310 at CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires. |
| November 7, 2024 | Prosecutors announced charges against three people: Payne’s accompanying representative, a CasaSur employee, and another alleged narcotics supplier or facilitator. |
| December 2024 | Judge Laura Bruniard processed five defendants: three on culpable-homicide allegations and two on alleged narcotics supply. Preventive detention was ordered for Pereyra and Paiz. |
| February 2025 | An appellate court confirmed the processing and detention of Pereyra and Paiz but dismissed the culpable-homicide cases against Nores, Martín, and Grassi. |
| June 13, 2025 | Reporting indicated that Paiz and Pereyra were being sent toward trial on the alleged narcotics-supply charges. |
| December 2025 | Paiz and Pereyra were placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring. |
| March 25, 2026 | Judge Andrade ordered their release under conditions, including a travel ban, reporting requirements, and monthly appearances. |
| May 7, 2026 | A UK pre-inquest review reported that the coroner was still waiting for material from Argentina. |
| June 30, 2026 | Argentina’s Criminal Cassation Court confirmed the final dismissal of the separate narcotics-supply case against Nores. |
What the case does—and does not—establish
- Established by the procedural record: Payne died after a fall from the CasaSur Palermo hotel; Argentina initially announced charges against three people; the case later involved five processed defendants; and the homicide allegations against three of them were dismissed on appeal.
- Still alleged rather than proven: that Pereyra and Paiz supplied cocaine to Payne; that the alleged supplies occurred on the dates and in the circumstances described by prosecutors; and that any remaining defendant committed the charged offense.
- No longer current: the description of three people all facing the same death-related charge. That wording reflects the November 2024 announcement and does not describe the case’s later procedural posture.
- Not supported by the available record: a murder finding, a conspiracy finding, or a conclusion that the dismissed defendants were criminally responsible for Payne’s death.
Because the case involves a death and ongoing proceedings, reporting should use terms such as charged, accused, processed, and alleged unless describing a specific court ruling. Sensitive images or videos should not be reproduced; a Buenos Aires judicial authority separately restricted the publication and dissemination of images connected with Payne’s death and his condition before death.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were three people convicted in connection with Liam Payne’s death?
No. The November 7, 2024 announcement concerned charges and allegations, not convictions. The case later expanded to five processed defendants, and the three culpable-homicide cases were dismissed on appeal in February 2025.
Who remained in the Argentine case as of August 2026?
Braian Paiz and Ezequiel Pereyra remained associated with the case on alleged narcotics-supply charges. They had been released under conditions on March 25, 2026. The available record did not establish a final conviction or acquittal against them.
Was Roger Nores still a defendant?
The culpable-homicide case against Nores was dismissed on appeal in February 2025. A separate narcotics-supply case against him was definitively dismissed by Argentina’s Criminal Cassation Court on June 30, 2026, according to reporting on the ruling.
Has the UK inquest into Liam Payne’s death concluded?
Not according to the latest available update. At a May 7, 2026 pre-inquest review, the UK coroner was still awaiting reports, eyewitness statements, and other material from Argentina.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The “three people charged” headline accurately described Argentina’s initial November 2024 announcement, but it is incomplete as a current account. The case later involved five defendants; the three culpable-homicide cases were dismissed; Nores was definitively removed from a separate narcotics allegation; and Paiz and Pereyra remained accused of narcotics supply while living under release conditions. None of those procedural developments, on their own, amounts to a final finding that any defendant caused Liam Payne’s death.
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