Argentinian waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz has been arrested on charges of allegedly selling cocaine to singer Liam Payne, hours before Payne’s death. The man was taken into custody on January 3, just a few days after Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office filed the charges against him. Paiz might serve between a 4 and 15-year sentence in prison.
Payne, 31, fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16 and died. His system contained traces of alcohol and pink cocaine according to authorities, which they described as “polydrug use of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body” within the 72 hours leading up to his death.
However, Paiz dismissed all the allegations, stating that he used drugs with Payne but maintained that he did not give them to the singer. According to him, he is an ardent admirer of Payne, who has been a singer for One Direction.
According to People, his lawyer Fernando Madeo Facente appeared in an Argentinian show, El Diario de Mariana, where he said, “[Paiz and Payne] talked about a lot of topics. In fact, he is a lifelong fan of One Direction. He had affection for Liam and respected him. He took advantage of the opportunity of the encounter in the restaurant where he worked.”
He added, “They exchanged messages, had lengthy and fluid conversations, and they talked about a lot of topics. At one point they did talk about having a personal encounter, of having a good time, having fun, having an intimate and private encounter.”
The manslaughter charges have already been filed against five others—the hotel manager, receptionist, and friend of Payne—who allegedly failed in their duty and neglected to offer help to Payne in his vulnerable state.
Prosecutors have claimed that Paiz sold cocaine to Payne twice on October 14, which was just two days before his fatal fall. However, Facente has continued to defend Paiz’s innocence.
Fans around the world were shocked by Liam Payne’s untimely death. He was buried on November 20. His girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, and former One Direction bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan attended his funeral.
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