Argentine court dismisses charges against 3 accused in death of singer Liam Payne / Photo: Tolga AKMEN - AFP/File
Argentine court dismisses charges against 3 accused in death of singer Liam Payne
An Argentine appeals court has dismissed involuntary homicide charges against three people accused in the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne, who plunged from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires last year, according to a ruling seen Thursday.
Two others accused of supplying drugs to the former boy band star were remanded in custody pending the start of their trial, according to the court decision dated Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Payne, 31, had consumed cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant before falling from the balcony of his hotel room last October.
The former One Direction singer-songwriter had spoken publicly about struggling with substance abuse and coping with achieving fame at an early age.
His death prompted a global outpouring of grief from family, former bandmates and fans, with gatherings of thousands of mourners around the world.
Charges were dropped against Payne's representative in Argentina, the manager of the hotel and the head of the hotel's reception.
But legal proceedings will continue against Ezequiel David Pereyra and Braian Nahuel Paiz -- both twenty-something employees of the Casa Sur Hotel -- for allegedly supplying the drugs.
One of the highest-grossing live acts in the world in the 2010s, One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Payne enjoyed some solo success before his career stalled.
J.P.Hofmann--MP
