Liam Payne’s family reportedly believes that there is now hope for justice as five individuals have been charged in connection with his death

Liam Payne‘s family reportedly has hope that the singer will get “justice” as five individuals face charges in connection to the singer’s death.

Five suspects have been connected to the unfortunate incident, with hotel manager Gilda Martin, Payne’s close friend Roger Nores, and waiter Braian Paiz among them.

Roger Nores, who faces negligent homicide charges for allegedly abandoning Liam Payne, has since denied the claims made against him.

Painfully navigating through their first Christmas without their son, Payne’s family is holding onto hope as charges are brought against the five individuals linked to his tragic death, with a belief that justice could be on the horizon.

Speaking to The Sun, a family friend shared, “The past Christmas has been extremely tough for them, but their priority now is to seek justice for their son. After a harrowing couple of months, there is a glimmer of hope that justice might prevail.”

On Monday, it was announced that Judge Laura Bruniard has moved forward with legal action against all the suspects involved in Payne’s death after prosecutors presented evidence.

The Argentine National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office identified the suspects by their initials: hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi, and Payne’s friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores.

Additionally, hotel worker Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz face charges related to the cocaine supply.

According to the Daily Mail, prosecutors have held Nores “criminally responsible” for Payne’s death, accusing him of neglecting his duty of care.

They claim Nores “abandoned” Payne despite “knowing that he was incapable of caring for himself, knowing that the accused suffered from multiple previous addictions – to alcohol and cocaine – and having full knowledge of the state of intoxication, vulnerability, and helplessness in which he found himself.”

Judge Bruniard stated that Nores “is responsible for the crime of negligent homicide as the perpetrator given that he had assumed a position of guarantor in front of the family of the deceased.”

Evidence reportedly shows Nores was at the hotel about 50 minutes before Payne’s fatal fall, and the judge emphasized that he “should have consulted a doctor” and “should have done this without relying on what the hotel employees could do.”

Prosecutors allege that hotel staff Martin and Grassi saw Payne intoxicated in the lobby but failed to offer medical aid.

The judge noted that Payne “was unable to care for himself” on the day of his death and that footage showed him being dragged “by three people” while unconscious.

She noted that while she believed that Nores and the two hotel employees charged with manslaughter did not intend to cause Payne’s death, their actions and decisions contributed to the increased danger to his life.

In a documentary by TMZ investigating Payne’s death, Nores defended his actions, claiming that Payne was “in good spirits and perfectly balanced” on the day he tragically died, dismissing allegations that the singer was intoxicated or acting erratically before his fatal fall from the hotel balcony on October 16.

In a statement last month, Nores said, “I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left.”

He added: “I could have never imagined something like this would happen.”

Nores, who was not officially Payne’s manager but described him as a dear friend, further explained that he gave a statement to prosecutors as a witness the day after the incident but had not spoken to law enforcement since.

“I wasn’t Liam’s manager. He was just my very dear friend,” Nores said, per the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, waiter Paiz faces allegations of supplying cocaine to Payne during the early hours of October 15 and 16. Another defendant, Ezequiel Pereyra, is accused of providing cocaine to Payne on October 14.

Paiz, however, claims that the drugs he provided were not sold for money, and he insists that he only sought to “spend time” with Payne.

Prosecutors argue that the cocaine was exchanged for money, presenting evidence such as hotel footage, witness statements, and WhatsApp messages.

These messages, particularly between Paiz and Payne, played a central role in Judge Bruniard’s decision to charge Paiz with drug dealing.

However, Paiz’s defense lawyer, Fernando Madeo, has rejected the charges, calling them “illegitimate, unfounded, and arbitrary.”

Madeo maintains that Paiz, a devoted “One Direction” fan, used drugs with Payne but never sold him any.

In an interview, the alleged drug dealer admitted to using drugs with Payne but insisted that he never took money from him.

He said: “We took drugs together, but I never took drugs to him or accepted any money. I have messages where he’s offering me money because he was apparently used to offering money for everything, but I never accepted anything.”