Liam Payne: Potential lengthy sentence for three charged in connection to singer's death

Three people have been charged in connection to One Direction star Liam Payne's death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last month, prosecutors have revealed in a lengthy statement

Three people have been charged in connection to Liam Payne's death last month, and prosecutors have confirmed the lengthy sentence they could face.

It was confirmed on Thursday that three suspects are now under formal investigation following the One Direction man's death in Argentina on October 16. The prosecutors revealed in a lengthy statement that, if found guilty, the crimes were punishable by a prison sentence of up to 15 years on conviction. They also confirmed one of the suspects included a hotel worker.

The statement, which was the third by prosecutors since the tragedy, explained the in-depth investigation they had been carrying out and seemingly ruled out suicide as a cause of death. In their statement, which has been translated into English, they said: "In the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing and could not understand it."

In their comment, prosecutors said: "From the beginning of the investigation and within a few days, exhaustive and meticulous actions and measures were carried out to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of the artist. In this sense, several dozen statements were received at the headquarters of the Public Prosecutor's Office including the testimonies of hotel staff, family and friends and medical professionals."

It went on to say they had analysed more than 800 hours of video footage from various security cameras in the hotel and others in the street. It's thought Liam's dad, Geoff, was informed of the three charges in person. He had been in the country in the weeks following Liam's passing, before the star's body was allowed to be flown back to the UK.

Prosecutors said one of the accused had been accompanying the star on a daily basis while he was in Argentina, while another was an employee at the Casa Sur Palermo hotel where Payne was staying. The third person allegedly supplied drugs. It's thought there have been a total of nine raids ordered on properties in Buenos Aires so far and the investigation continues with some of Payne’s devices still being analysed.

In the wake of the tragedy, a petition was launched by fans of the singer calling for legislation to protect the mental health of artists in the entertainment industry. The petition, which was launched on Change.org by a fan of the late dad-of-one, seeks to "implore lawmakers to create legislation safeguarding the mental health of artists within the industry".

To date, over 134,000 people have signed the online document which calls for "Liam's Law". The law would necessitate "regular mental health check-ups, adequate rest periods and the presence of mental health professionals on-set, including any ongoing support during their career". Liam had previously opened up about his struggles with alcoholism at the peak of his success. In a chat with The Diary Of A CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett he described hitting "rock bottom" before saying in 2023 that he was sober after going into rehab.

Liam is survived by his seven-year-old son Bear Payne.

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