The CasaSur Palermo hotel employee who called 911 shortly before Liam Payne's death is now facing charges, according to documents seen by Page Six on Tuesday.
Receptionist Esteban Reynaldo Grassi faces charges after the judge in charge of the case weighs Grassi's involvement in the singer's death.
Also named in the documents filed Monday is Gilda Agustina Martín, the operations manager at the Hotel CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The judge has demanded that the two parties be informed of their charges, although it is unclear what they are accused of.
“Because there is sufficient evidence to suggest that they were involved in the crime under investigation, we are requesting comment from the following individuals,” according to the documents obtained by Rolling Stone on Tuesday.
According to the documents, Martín and Grassi are due in court on December 19th.
Braian Nahuel Paiz and Uriel Alejandro Astengo are scheduled to appear in court on December 17 after being accused of giving drugs to Payne, who is known to have addiction problems.
The singer's boyfriend, Rogelio “Roger” Nores, is also scheduled to appear in court the next day on charges of abandoning and then killing a person.
According to the Buenos Aires legal system, after the hearing, a judge must decide whether the defendants will be prosecuted, excluded from the trial, or whether there is no evidence to support either decision.
The former One Direction band member died on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in CasaSur. He was 31.
After his death, Grassi's 911 emergency call was made available to the public.
The manager was heard calmly telling the operator, “We have a guest who is.” [allegedly] high and drunk; And if he's conscious, he'll destroy his room and you need to send someone to us, please. They need to send someone urgently because I don't know if his life is in danger.
“He is in a room with a balcony and we are worried that he may be putting his life in danger,” he added.
Grassi then asked if the police were coming before noting that he just wanted the “SAME,” Argentina’s system for medical emergencies. However, the operator told him that the police were already on the way.
A few moments later, Payne's body was found in the yard.
After much speculation, it was reported that the singer may have tried to climb off the balcony after he was allegedly locked in his room by staff. Surveillance video showed the moment Payne was carried out of the lobby by three male employees before they struggled to take him back to his room.
At the time of his death, a New York Yankees shoulder bag and hat were found next to Payne's body, supporting the theory that he wanted to run away. A bag containing drug paraphernalia was also found on the balcony of the room below Payne's, suggesting he had taken it.
However, an autopsy report revealed that he fainted en route and fell, resulting in a fractured skull and internal and external bleeding.
A toxicology report later revealed that he may have blacked out due to the large amount of drugs and alcohol he consumed before his death. Cocaine, crack cocaine, a sedative and pink cocaine – a recreational drug that mixes methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others – were found in his body.
On November 7, in a press release obtained by Page Six, the State Attorney's Office for Crime and Corrections announced that charges would be filed against Nores, Paiz and Astengo in connection with his death.
Nores, who had taken on a manager-like role in Payne's life, was charged with abandonment for allegedly failing to inform the late singer's family that he had relapsed.
Police also tried to contact the Argentine businessman who had been with Payne hours before his death using a cell phone number provided by the hotel manager, but he did not pick up the phone.
Although he protests his innocence, he faces a prison sentence of five to 15 years.
Meanwhile, Paiz, who worked at CasaSur and claimed to be friends with Payne, is accused of supplying the singer with drugs. He also maintained his innocence, saying he only did drugs with Payne but never brought any to him.
Astengo has not yet commented on the allegations against him.
Payne was finally laid to rest on November 20 after an intimate funeral in the UK attended by his former One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
