What are the charges against Braian Nahuel Paiz? Incarcerated waiter claims he had “flirty conversation” with Liam Payne before his death

New insights are emerging into the days and hours before former One Direction member Liam Payne’s tragic death in 2024. In new witness statements obtained by media houses, a waiter named Braian Nahuel Paiz, jailed in connection with the singer’s death about the time he spent with Payne.

Braian Nahuel Paiz is charged with supplying drugs to Payne. According to People Magazine, Paiz, who stands accused of selling cocaine to the singer, is looking at a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Despite the serious accusations he has been charged with, the 25-year-old Paiz maintains his innocence and claims that he and Payne simply spent time together and consumed drugs without exchanging money.

It was discovered that Payne, who died on October 16, 2024 after falling from the balcony of the hotel CasaSur in Buenos Aires, Argentina, had consumed alcohol, cocaine, and a prescribed antidepressant prior to his death, as per the results of toxicology reports shared by BBC.

After his investigations into the British singer’s death, five suspects were charged, three of whom were accused of manslaughter. According to BBC, Paiz and a hotel employee named Ezequiel Pereyra have been charged with selling cocaine to Payne.

According to Daily Mail, two of those accused of manslaughter were cleared of their charges, and presently, only Paiz and Pereyra are in custody.

About Braian Nahuel Paiz’s witness statement in the case of Liam Payne’s untimely death

Braian Nahuel Paiz was arrested on January 3, 2025, according to his lawyer, Fernando Madeo Facente, who spoke to People Magazine. Recently, Daily Mail obtained the witness statement that Paiz gave to the authorities in 2024, in which the waiter claimed that he spent multiple ‘intimate’ moments with the singer, including a “flirty conversation on Instagram.”

According to The Blast, Liam Payne met Paiz on October 2, 2024, at the upscale restaurant Cabana Las Lilas in Buenos Aires, where the young waiter was working a late-night shift. The singer appeared fidgety to Paiz, who noted that he went to the bathroom multiple times, and often made eye contact with him.

Later, Paiz was asked by Payne if he had cocaine, a question that he had been posing to multiple staff members that night. When the singer was leaving, Paiz gave him a piece of paper with his Instagram handle scribbled on it.

An hour after leaving the restaurant, Paiz claims that he was contacted by Payne through another “burner” handle on Instagram, and was asked about drugs. While Paiz refused the singer, he, as per Daily Mail, said:

“Then we had a flirty conversation on Instagram which we continued via iMessage, which is where he gave me the address of the hotel where he was staying.”

Paiz visited Payne at the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt Hotel. About the visit, Paiz remarked:

“During this time we took a photo. He showed me new music he hadn’t released yet, and we drank alcohol. I also saw him taking drugs. He offered them to me repeatedly, but I didn’t accept, since in some cases I didn’t even know what drugs they were.”

Paiz, who left Payne’s hotel after an hour, found that he was blocked by the singer the next morning. As per The Blast, he was contacted by Payne two weeks later when he asked for drugs again and was offered $100 via another Instagram page. Paiz claims that he bought drugs and met the singer for a visit at another hotel, CasaSur Palermo, as he did not “want to miss the opportunity.”

The second time, the two interacted, consumed alcohol, and shared “intimate” moments, although he had admitted previously that the pair did not have s*x, as per Daily Mail. The witness statement revealed Paiz’s account, who said:

“We were on his computer. He showed me photos he had saved of some people, mostly girls... Then he showed me two escorts, one brunette and one blonde... He showed me messages he’d received and photos of himself. He asked me if I would help him shave, and I said yes. Then he took a shower, and I waited for him to finish.”

Later, Payne also separately paid a visit to Paiz’s home after commissioning the water to procure drugs for him.

As per Paiz’s account, however, the drugs, ordered via Telegram, were of spurious quality. Paiz said:

“He left angry that I hadn’t given him anything. In fact, he looked at me and shook his head ‘No’”

According to the publication, this was the pair’s last meeting before Payne was found dead two days later.