Suspect in Liam Payne death investigation breaks silence
One of the suspects being investigated over Liam Payne‘s death has broken his silence.
Payne died on October 16 at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentinian prosecutor’s office has since shared that his cause of death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding.
Later, preliminary toxicology tests revealed that Payne had pink cocaine and several other substances in his system at the time of his fatal balcony fall. A more recent toxicology report confirmed he had cocaine, alcohol and antidepressants in his system at the time of his death.
Last week, three people were charged in connection with his death although none of them were named at the time.
Now, one of the suspects, Braian Nahuel Paiz spoke to journalist, Guillermo Panizza on Argentinian TV over the weekend.
He admitted to meeting the late One Direction singer twice before his death and confessed to taking drugs with him. However, he insisted that he never supplied Payne with narcotics nor accepted any money from him.
He said via The Mirror: “I never supplied Liam with drugs. Liam’s first contact with me was at my place of work. We swapped details and saw each other later that night. It was all normal. He came down from his hotel room to fetch me because I had got lost.”
He continued: “We got together there and he showed me some of the music he was going to bring out. I’ve heard people saying he was taking drugs, but the truth is that when he got to the restaurant where I was working he was already under the effects of drugs and he didn’t actually eat anything.”
Braian claims the second time he met Liam, he spent the night with the star and alleged that the singer was consuming cocaine while Braian smoked marijuana. He added: “We took drugs together, but I never took drugs to him or accepted any money.”
Braian also claims that his home was searched by police, but he is yet to be questioned.
Meanwhile, Rita Ora paid an emotional tribute to Payne while hosting the 2024 MTV EMAs last night (November 10).
Speaking from the stage of the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester during the awards, she said: “I just want to take a moment to remember someone that was very, very dear to us. We lost him recently and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world and I think a lot of yours at home and everybody in here tonight.
“Liam Payne was one of the kindest people that I knew. You know, there were so many ways that we were talking about honouring him, but I think sometimes just simply speaking is enough.”
“He had the biggest heart, he was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could, he brought so much joy to every room he walked into and he left such a mark on this world,” she continued, with her voice starting to break.
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Damian Jones
NME
