One Direction singer had alcohol and cocaine in his system at the time of his death, an autopsy finds.
An Argentinian judge has allowed the manager of former One Direction singer Liam Payne and the hotel staff to be charged. when he died.
The judge ruled that the manager and hotel staff failed Payne shortly after his death, according to a statement released Monday by the prosecutor's office.
Payne, who was British, died on a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October. He was 31 years old.
Payne's manager as well as the hotel's manager and receptionist have been charged with manslaughter in connection with the former pop star's death. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
A local hotel worker and waitress is accused of selling drugs to Payne during his stay and faces up to 15 years in prison. A judge in his sentencing Friday ordered that he be held in prison pending trial.
“Taking Payne to his cell in the state he was in was putting his life in danger,” the judge said in his ruling, which was released in a statement by the prosecutor. “It was obvious that he was in danger.”
Payne's autopsy showed she had “significant” amounts of cocaine and alcohol in her system at the time of her death, according to the statement.
Payne allegedly bought cocaine at least four times from a hotel employee and a waitress over a three-day period.
Footage from the lobby of the Casa Sur hotel in the posh Palermo neighborhood shows that minutes before Payne's death on October 16 she was unconscious and three people carried her to her room.
A hotel receptionist led the group and was spotted by the hotel manager on the street outside Payne's room, according to the statement.
“Payne changed his mind and there was a balcony in the room. “The right thing to do was to leave him in a safe and comfortable place until the doctor arrived,” the judge said.
He said evidence showed Payne tried to get out of his room through the balcony but, because of his condition, fell.
Inspector Payne, known by his initials “RLN”, left the hotel less than an hour after the crash. The judge said he should not have given Payne's health care to the hotel staff.
The judge banned the employer, who is an American citizen, from leaving Argentina.
Payne was chosen to have four co-stars when he appeared on the United Kingdom singing competition The X Factor in 2010, forming One Direction. The group achieved international success before splitting up in 2016.
Payne continued to have a solo career, and released his last single in March.