Final two men charged over Liam Payne's death WILL stand trial after ‘selling tragic star drugs before his balcony fall'
LIAM TWIST Final two men charged over Liam Payne's death WILL stand trial after 'selling tragic star drugs before his balcony fall'
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TWO men accused of supplying Liam Payne with cocaine just hours before he fell to his death from a Buenos Aires hotel will face trial, Argentine prosecutors confirmed.
Waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz and ex-hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra have been behind bars since January, charged over the One Direction star's death last October.
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Two men accused of supplying cocaine to Liam Payne's will stand trial
Credit: Instagram
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Paiz pictured with the tragic 1D star
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The pair will be put on the stand and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of drugs offences.
Prosecutors also revealed Liam had snorted and smoked cocaine in his room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel 'up to a few minutes before his death.'
In a lengthy statement, Argentina's public prosecution service said: 'At the request of the head of the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 14, Andres Esteban Madrea, the two defendants remanded in custody as part of the court investigation into the circumstances surrounding Liam James Payne's death, will go on trial accused of the crime of selling drugs.
"They are Braian Nahuel Paiz, 25, who met Payne while working as a waiter in a restaurant in Puerto Madero, and Ezequiel David Pereyra, 24, who was an employee at the Hotel CasaSur Palermo where the former One Direction member died eight months ago after falling from the balcony of room 310, in a proven state of intoxication with cocaine, alcohol and psychotropic drugs."
The statement added: 'The autopsy showed Liam's death was caused by polytrauma and internal and external haemorrhaging and it was also determined he had ethyl alcohol in a concentration of up to 2.7 grams per litre as well as cocaine, methylecgonine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene and sertraline.
'The forensic medical specialists who performed the autopsy indicated toxicology results showed the dead man consumed cocaine via his nose as well as inhaling it by smoking the drug.
'Consumption took place at least 72 hours prior to his death and up to a few minutes before his death.'
The alleged drug dealers are the only two suspects who will end up on the stand.
Three other men initially charged over Liam's death were told in February the case against them had been dropped.
The tragic singer's close friend Rogelio Nores, hotel receptionist Esteban Grassi and hotel head of security Gilda Martin were accused of Liam's manslaughter by a lower court judge before reversing her decision on appeal.
No date has yet been set for the Paiz and Pereyra trial although it is expected to kick off shortly.
Former waiter Paiz, who has previously protested his innocence after being accused of selling Liam cocaine on two separate occasions in the run-up to his death, repeated an earlier claim last night from prison that he had shared drugs with the artist but hadn't committed the serious offence of selling him narcotics.
The 25-year-old, who got chatting to Payne in a restaurant the former One Direction singer ate at and swapped contact details with him, whined in an interview with Argentinian media outlet Infobae from his jail cell at a Buenos Aires police station: 'I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm a good person.
'I shared drugs with Liam but I didn't sell them.'
Describing himself as a drug user who started smoking marihuana as a youngster, he added: 'All I want to do is start studying again and leave jail to work, like I was doing before.
'I regret now giving Liam my Instagram because it all spiralled from there.
'If I hadn't I'd probably be working today, I'd be studying, I'd be doing videos because before meeting Liam I'd participated in the filming of a videoclip for YouTube for a singer and other videos for TV.
'I miss the freedom I had, I miss work, I miss my family, my mum and my sisters.'
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an hour ago
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Major update in Liam Payne death investigation with trial date set
Two men accused of supplying drugs to former One Direction singer Liam Payne just hours before his fatal fall from a hotel balcony will face trial, Argentinian prosecutors have confirmed. Braian Nahuel Paiz, 25, a restaurant waiter, and Ezequiel David Pereyra, 24, a former hotel employee, have been in custody since early January. They stand accused of selling cocaine to the British musician, who died on October 16, 2024, after falling from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires. The Little Things hitmaker was a beloved UK musician after rising to fame alongside his former bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles on The X Factor in 2010. In a statement released by Argentina's public prosecution service, Prosecutor Andrés Esteban Madrea confirmed the pair would go to trial, facing potential prison sentences of up to 15 years if convicted of drug trafficking offenses. 'Braian Nahuel Paiz, who met Payne while working as a waiter in Puerto Madero, and Ezequiel David Pereyra, a former employee at the hotel where the incident occurred, are charged with the crime of selling drugs,' the statement read. Forensic investigations revealed Payne had consumed cocaine through both snorting and smoking shortly before his death. An autopsy showed he died from severe polytrauma and internal and external bleeding, and toxicology reports detected a combination of substances in his system, including cocaine, alcohol (at 2.7 grams per litre), methylecgonine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, and the antidepressant sertraline. 'The toxicological analysis confirmed Liam Payne had ingested cocaine at least 72 hours before his death and possibly as recently as a few minutes before falling from the hotel balcony,' authorities said. Three other individuals initially charged in connection with Payne's death – his close friend Rogelio Nores, hotel receptionist Esteban Grassi, and head of hotel security Gilda Martin – were cleared of wrongdoing after an appeal overturned a lower court's manslaughter accusations. No date has been set for the trial of Paiz and Pereyra, but proceedings are expected to begin soon. More Trending Speaking from his Buenos Aires jail cell in an interview with local outlet Infobae, Paiz denied selling cocaine to Payne, though he admitted to having shared drugs with the pop star. 'I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm a good person,' he said. 'I shared drugs with Liam but I didn't sell them.' The young waiter described himself as a longtime marijuana user and expressed regret over the connection he formed with Payne. 'I regret giving Liam my Instagram because everything spiralled from there,' he said. 'If I hadn't, I'd probably be working or studying today. I miss my freedom, my family, my mom, and my sisters.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Rita Ora reveals empowering way LGBTQ+ fans have 'inspired' her new music MORE: Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy shares unseen picture of One Direction star
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