Details of singer Liam Payne's tragic death, his actions before he fell to his death from a hotel balcony, have been revealed in court documents.
In the trial of those involved in the death of British music star Liam Payne, prosecutors and witnesses have shared details of the singer's final hours in a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires on October 16: who he met and what he did before the tragedy occurred at around 5pm.
According to the complaint, Liam contacted two women through a prostitution website and invited them to his hotel room a few hours before his death. The two women reportedly arrived at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 16 and stayed for about two and a half hours. One told investigators that Liam had a small glass of whiskey and was “using something that looked like crystal meth.” She said Liam asked them to get him drugs, but they refused because they didn’t know where to find them. During that time, the three had sex.
The other woman described Liam’s room as a mess, with foil strewn about, drugs, clothes, and more. She said Liam smelled strongly of alcohol but appeared fine. The former One Direction member reportedly asked them to leave without paying and smashed the TV. They later returned to the room because they had forgotten some items, and Liam apologized to the two.
Photos taken inside Liam's room, published by La Nacion and Clarin, showed traces of white powder, burnt tinfoil and a smashed television. A half-empty champagne glass and another glass next to the television were broken.
During the investigation, prosecutors said Liam may have fallen from the balcony "in a state of partial or total loss of consciousness" during a drug-induced psychosis. A post-mortem examination also revealed that Liam had consumed alcohol and a variety of drugs before his death, including cocaine, benzodiazepines, crack cocaine and 'pink cocaine' - a combination of crystal meth, ketamine and MDMA.
A woman named Rebecca said she had spoken to Liam Payne for about half an hour in the hotel lobby that afternoon. She said Liam introduced himself to everyone and shouted "I'm Liam" to a passenger waiting for the elevator. The singer then returned to the lobby with his laptop. Rebecca speculated that Liam had read an email that upset him, causing him to scream and slam his laptop on the ground. Liam's behavior attracted attention. The 31-year-old singer then explained to Rebecca that he used to be in a boy band and that was why things got so messy. Rebecca said Liam fell when he returned to the lobby and was helped into the elevator by staff.
Meanwhile, the hotel's head receptionist claimed Liam Payne had repeatedly asked for alcohol and asked where he could buy cocaine. The receptionist said the singer had insulted a staff member who said he couldn't help him. According to court documents, Liam was "unable to stand" at the time after "using multiple substances".
Hotel staff then allegedly used a spare key to let Liam into his room, then removed a mirror from the outside of the door out of concern he might damage it. Minutes later, a hotel employee called 911, noting that the singer was in a room with a balcony and expressing concern that he might try to escape.
The caller said: "I don't know if the guest's life is in danger. The room has a balcony and we're afraid he might do something. Just send an ambulance, just an ambulance."
Before the ambulance could arrive, Liam Payne fell from a third-floor balcony. The singer is believed to have tried to find his way out after hotel staff left him alone in his room. Liam's body was found with a bag slung over his shoulder - a bag that was not seen when Liam was taken from the lobby by staff. According to the Mirror, another bag bearing Liam's name, containing pills and alcohol, was found on the second floor of the hotel. Investigators believe Liam threw this bag down first in an attempt to escape the room.
Authorities have ruled out the possibility of Liam Payne committing suicide, explaining that he was in a state of confusion. The way he fell also suggests that the singer had no self-defense reflexes.
According to TMZ, sources close to Liam said that the singer had always felt claustrophobic in his hotel room, a reaction that stemmed from his years in the band, when he often had to stay in his room because of concerns about overzealous fans outside. Last September, Liam was also said to have tried to escape from his Florida rental home after security guards locked him in over drug concerns.
Liam Payne had been having a rough time before his death after his publicist quit, his record label terminated his contract, and his ex-girlfriend sued him for harassment. The singer travelled to Argentina with his current girlfriend to see his friend Niall Horan from One Direction perform on October 2, before staying on holiday. The pair had a good time before his girlfriend returned to the US to look after their dog on October 14. Liam died two days later.
Liam's close friend in Argentina, Roger Nores, was arrested for allegedly leaving the singer in a state of unrest on October 16. However, Roger Nores was found not guilty after a trial this week. The hotel receptionist and security guard - who dragged Liam back to his room while he was in a state of shock - were also cleared of manslaughter. Meanwhile, two people accused of supplying drugs to Liam Payne remain in custody, awaiting trial. If convicted, they could face between four and 14 years in prison.
Liam Payne was born on 29 August 1993 in Wolverhampton, England, outside Birmingham. He began his career on The X Factor in 2008 but was eliminated early. Two years later, Liam returned to the music show, impressing with the song Cry Me a River. He was eventually chosen along with four other contestants - Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson - to form the band One Direction.