Five charged in connection to Liam Payne’s death
Argentine authorities have charged five people in connection with the death of pop star Liam Payne, who died in October after falling from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony.
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Another suspect has reportedly been arrested in Argentina in the investigation to the death of 31-year-old One Direction star Liam Payne in October.
Braian Paiz, a Casa Sur hotel waiter who was revealed earlier this week as one of five people charged in the British singer’s death, was taken into custody Friday, days after a judge ordered him to pre-trial detention for allegedly supplying Payne with cocaine, according to CBS News, the Daily Mail and the Buenos Aires Times.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Argentine prosecutor’s office and Paiz’s lawyer for comment.
In a Dec. 30 statement, the local prosecutor’s office said Paiz — referred to by only his initials — had allegedly provided Payne with cocaine twice on Oct. 14 and accepted payment for the drugs. He is accused of visiting Payne’s room from 3:25 to 8:15 a.m. that morning and providing Payne with more cocaine in the 10 a.m. hour, after the singer took a taxi to Paiz’s home and returned to the Palermo neighborhood hotel.
According to prosecutor Andrés Esteban Madrea, Paiz previously admitted to giving Payne drugs, but only to spend time with him and not for money. However, the judge presiding over the criminal case, Laura Bruniard, believed he supplied cocaine in exchange for money in part due to the fact that Payne asked the reception desk for cash while Paiz was in his room.
Who is the other Casa Sur hotel employee charged in Liam Payne’s death?
Paiz and another hotel employee — referred to by by prosecutors as “EDP” and revealed to be Ezequiel Pereyra — were the only two suspects to be ordered to pre-trial detention. They were also required to hand over assets totaling 5 million pesos. Their charges come with a four-to-15-year prison sentence.
Pereyra allegedly supplied Payne with cocaine at 3:25 a.m. on Oct. 15 and again on Oct. 16 between 3:30 and 4 p.m. Payne died just past 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 after falling to the hotel restaurant’s patio from a third-floor balcony.
The prosecutor’s office previously said the internal and external injuries Payne sustained were “compatible” with a fall from a third-floor balcony, and third-party involvement was ruled out. Testing found Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system in the 72 hours before his death.
Investigators believe he was in a state of partial or full unconsciousness at the time of his fall, and they ruled out the possibility that the fall was voluntary.
In November, the local prosecutor’s office announced the investigation into the circumstances of the former One Direction star death, which resulted in three suspects being criminally charged “with the crimes of abandonment of a person after death, supply and facilitation of narcotics.”
Liam Payne’s friend, hotel manager and head receptionist accused of negligence
The other three people charged include Roger Nores, Payne’s friend and rumored manager. Nores, identified by his initials, is accused of negligent homicide or manslaughter for allegedly leaving Payne vulnerable despite knowing about the singer’s addictions and that he could not fend for himself. Nores allegedly left the hotel less than an hour before the fall, and the judge argued that he should not have entrusted the hotel employees with Payne’s well-being.
The hotel’s manager, identified via her initials as Gilda Martin, has been charged with negligence that led to Payne’s death due to failing to stop Payne from being taken to his hotel room moments before his death, while head receptionist Esteban Grassi is accused of leading three people to “drag” the singer to his room minutes before he fell to his death.
Hotel surveillance footage allegedly showed an unconscious Payne being carried up to his third-floor room by three people, as well as Grassi.
Instead of leaving him alone in a vulnerable state, Martin and Grassi should have kept Payne “safe” in a separate area until he could receive medical care, Bruniard said.
Nores, Martin and Grassi’s charges come with a sentence of one to five years in prison, per prosecutors. Bruniard required the three to hand over 50 million pesos each ahead of the trial.
Payne is survived by his 7-year-old child, Bear, whom he shared with British singer Cheryl Cole; his parents, Karen and Geoff Payne; and his sisters, Ruth Gibbins and Nicola Payne.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The service is free, confidential and available in English and Spanish.