Judges deny appeal to overturn acquittal of Liam Payne’s friend and hotel workers in death investigation
A panel of judges have reportedly denied an appeal to overturn the recent acquittal of Roger Nores and two hotel workers in the case of Liam Payne‘s death.
Payne tragically died on October 16 last year following a fatal fall from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentine prosecutor’s office has revealed that the 31-year-old’s cause of death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding.
Following Payne’s death, five people were arrested and charged in connection to his death. Among those arrested were the singer’s friend Roger Nores and two members of staff at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi. All three of them were exonerated of all charges earlier this year.
Now, according to a Rolling Stone report, an appeal seeking for Nores’, Martin’s and Grassi’s acquittal to be overturned was presented to a panel of judges, who have ruled to deny it.
According to Rolling Stone, the appeal was filed on March 5 and argued that the judge who exonerated the three previously accused suspects was “flawed in its reasoning” and that some of the information and evidence in the case had not been reviewed at the time of their acquittal.
However, the panel of judges are firmly backing their exoneration, responding per Rolling Stone: “Rather than providing a specific and detailed critique of the Court’s reasoning, the appeal merely expresses disagreement with the evaluation of the collected evidence, repeatedly stating the need for further actions, which the Court had dismissed by noting that ‘Neither the parties suggested any relevant actions in this regard.’”
As such, the judges have concluded that the appeal “lacks the necessary merit to proceed”. The prosecutors who filed the appeal are now reportedly presenting their case to the Supreme Court, Cámara de Casación for further review.
Out of the five original suspects arrested and charged in Payne’s death, the two remaining personnel – Ezequiel Pereyra and Braian Paiz – are to remain behind bars while they await trial. For both of their parts, Pereyra and Paiz have been accused of suppling Payne with drugs – some of which were found in his body following the post-death toxicology report.
In November, Paiz broke his silence, admitting that he met the late One Direction singer twice before his death and confessed to taking drugs with him. However, he insisted that he never supplied Payne with narcotics nor accepted any money from him. Both Paiz and Pereyra could face four to 15 years in prison if found guilty. Paiz will also reportedly have to pay a $4,900 fine.
In January, a hearing at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court confirmed that Payne’s death was the result of “polytrauma”, which refers to multiple traumatic injuries sustained by a body’s organ systems.
Elsewhere, Payne’s friend Roger Nores recently filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the late star’s father Geoff for defamation.
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Surej Singh
NME
