Argentine Court Clears Businessman of All Charges in Liam Payne Death

An Argentine appeals court cleared businessman Rogelio Luis “Roger” Nores of all charges related to the October 2024 death of singer Liam Payne. com reported that three judges at the Buenos Aires Criminal Court of Cassation upheld the dismissal of manslaughter and drug supply accusations on June 9.

The court ruled that Payne, then 31, was an adult free to decide to use drugs and that Nores bore no responsibility.

Prosecutors did not appeal the decision. Nores, 38, had faced a manslaughter indictment in November 2024 that was dropped in February 2025 and a separate drug supply charge filed in June 2025 that ended in April 2026. Investigators had sought forensic analysis of Nores’ devices after finding a message on Payne’s phone requesting “six grams,” but the court denied the request because Nores did not reply and no evidence showed he agreed to supply drugs.

The same June 9 ruling rejected a request to summon Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy as a witness. Payne died after falling from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires. Two other men, Braian Nahuel Paiz, 26, and Ezequiel David Pereyra, 22, remain charged with selling cocaine to Payne.

Both were released from custody in March 2026 after more than one year in detention. Negotiations for a plea deal continue and could reduce the charge against Paiz and Pereyra to supplying drugs for free, which carries a maximum six-month sentence already covered by time served. On July 3, Judge Karina Andrade approved forensic analysis of ten cellphones and a flash drive seized from the pair.

Cheryl Cole, Payne’s former partner, is a plaintiff in the case on behalf of their 9-year-old son Bear. Manslaughter charges against two CasaSur hotel employees were previously dropped.