Authorities have arrested Braian Paiz, a former restaurant waiter, for allegedly supplying drugs to Liam Payne before his fatal fall from the Buenos Aires hotel in October last year.
RELATED: Prayers Up! One Direction Member Liam Payne Passes Away At Age 31
Details On Braian Paiz’s Arrest In Connection To Liam Payne’s Passing
CBS News reports that Argentinian police arrested Braian Paiz on Friday, Jan. 3. Paiz, one of five defendants tied to Liam Payne’s death, according to Variety.
TMZ states that authorities arrested Braian Paiz outside of his Buenos Aires home, where he was under house arrest, just days after his charges in Payne’s death. The outlet adds that Paiz admitted to using drugs with Payne. He said they partied in Payne’s hotel room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel twice in the days before the One Direction singer’s death. Paiz claimed they consumed cocaine and whiskey together but he denied selling drugs to Payne. Furthermore, Paiz reportedly faces a prison sentence of four to fifteen years for the charges. He reportedly told TMZ “he feels unfairly treated as a murderer and believes he’s being used as a scapegoat.”
Paiz worked at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, where Liam Payne passed away back in October. Four other defendants, including three hotel employees and Payne’s friend, were recently charged in connection to the musician’s death.
More Info On Others Charged In Liam’s Death
As TSR previously shared, TMZ reported on November 7 that authorities initially charged two hotel employees and a friend of Payne’s in connection with his death.
Liam’s friend reportedly faced charges for “abandonment of a person before death.” Additionally, reports claimed a housekeeper delivered drugs to the English songwriter, while the third suspect acted as the “alleged drug supplier.”
More About Liam Payne’s Tragic Passing
Fans were heartbroken on October 16, 2024, when news broke of Liam Payne’s tragic passing at age 31. TMZ revealed that Payne died after falling from his hotel balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. He reportedly plunged from his third-floor room. Before his death, Liam had traveled to Argentina to attend a Niall Horan concert, where he reunited with his One Direction bandmates.
