Popular British singer Liam Payne died on October 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires. Argentine authorities have now ruled out suicide as the cause of his passing following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his fall.
According to the official autopsy reports, the singer was killed by multiple injuries consistent with the fall. The document also said that he did not have the reflex of protecting himself in the fall — which suggests he might have been unconscious.
A toxicology report showed that Payne had multiple substances in his system at the time of his death. Local prosecutors have however concluded that his injuries were not the result of self-harm or any external intervention by others.
Three people ‘close to the singer’ were charged earlier this week in connection with the death. A judge has placed restrictions on the suspects, including a prohibition on leaving Argentina. The allegations against them include "abandonment of a person followed by death" and “supply and facilitating the use of narcotics”.
One of the suspects is believed to have had a close working relationship with Payne, while another was an employee of the hotel where the incident took place. The third stands accused of providing the substances found in his system.
It is pertinent to remember that hotel staff in Buenos Aires had called the police just before the tragic fall to report an "aggressive" man who appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Reports quoting prosecutors also confirmed that Payne’s toxicological exams showed that his body had "traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant” in the moments before his death.
The charges in Payne’s case bear some resemblance to the US cases stemming from the death of Friends star Matthew Perry a little more than a year ago. The actor’s personal assistant and a longtime friend are among those charged with helping supply him with ketamine in the final months of his life, leading up to his overdose on the anesthetic.
(With inputs from agencies)
