Argentinian prosecutors have confirmed that waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz and hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra will face court on drug charges related to Liam Payne’s October 2024 death
Two men accused of selling Liam Payne cocaine hours before his fatal fall from a Buenos Aires hotel will face trial, Argentinian prosecutors have confirmed. The former One Direction singer died at the age of 31 after plunging from the third-floor of the CasaSur Palermo hotel on October 16, 2024.
Waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz and hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra were previously charged in relation to dad-of-one Liam’s death. They have been in prison since the beginning of January.
Argentinian prosecutors have now confirmed that the duo will be put on the stand. They have been warned they could face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted on drug offences.
Officials have also revealed Liam snorted and smoked class A-drug cocaine in his hotel room “up to a few minutes before his death”.
Argentina’s public prosecution service said in a statement: “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.”
Braian and Ezequiel are the only two suspects who will take the stand. Three others initially charged in relation to Liam’s death were told in February that cases against them had been dropped. They were Liam’s close friend Rogelio Nores, hotel receptionist Esteban Grassi, and hotel security Gilda Martin.
No date has been set for the trial, but it is thought it will kick off soon.
Ex-waiter Braian has previously said he was innocent in the incident. Local media Infobae report he said from his jail cell: “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.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
