Five people accused of causing the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne.

A judge in Argentina has officially charged five individuals in connection to the tragic death of Liam Payne, a former member of the popular musical group One Direction. The judge also ordered two of the defendants to be placed in preventive prison, a form of pre-trial detention, for allegedly supplying Payne with drugs.

The decision was confirmed by a judicial officer on Monday, who revealed that one of the individuals ordered to be put under preventive prison was an employee at the hotel where Payne was staying at the time of his death. The other individual was a waiter who Payne had met at a restaurant.

In addition to the two individuals facing charges for drug supply, the judge also charged three others with manslaughter. This includes a businessman who was with Payne in Argentina and two managers of the hotel. However, they were not ordered to be held in preventive prison.

Initially, prosecutors had filed charges against three individuals in November, but their names were not disclosed. Payne's death occurred in October when he fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires' upscale neighborhood of Palermo. According to his autopsy, he died from multiple injuries and external bleeding.

Toxicological exams also revealed that Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescribed antidepressant in his system at the time of his death. However, prosecutors have ruled out the possibility of suicide and have determined that his injuries were not self-inflicted or caused by others.

The autopsy also showed that Payne did not have the reflex to protect himself during the fall, suggesting that he may have been unconscious. The tragic death of the young musician shocked fans around the world. One Direction, one of the most successful boy bands of recent times, announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016, and Payne, along with his former bandmates, went on to pursue solo careers.

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