Braian Nahuel Paiz, one of the five people prosecuted for the death of Liam Payne on October 16 in Buenos Aires, has been arrested after allegedly supplying drugs to the singer. The arrest took place this Friday at the defendant’s residence, according to local media.
Reports indicate that the 24-year-old faces prison time of between 4 and 15 years. Paiz worked as a waiter in one of the restaurants in the Argentine capital, which is where he met the former member of One Direction. He has alleged that although he did not provide drugs to Payne, the two did use substances in their hotel room. “We spent the night, we did drugs together and something intimate happened,” Paiz said.
According to Page Six, the detainee claims that he met with Payne for the second time on October 13 and that at that time the singer asked him for his dealer’s number, to which Paiz agreed. He is one of the five people involved in the death of the singer, who fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel.
In addition to Paiz, hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra, businessman Roger Nores, manager Gilda Martín and manager Esteban Grassi are also accused of involuntary manslaughter. According to EFE, the investigation points to “at least” four third-party drug supplies during the time Payne spent at the hotel. The autopsy revealed that he died as a result of the fall and that “he may have fallen into a state of semi-or total unconsciousness.”
