Liam Payne suspects refuse to testify in judge’s probe into his tragic death

Two suspects in Liam Payne’s death case face narcotics charges after refusing to testify.

The first two suspects summoned for questioning by the judge investigating Liam Payne’s fatal fall from a third-floor hotel balcony have refused to testify.  

Braian Nahuel Paiz, an alleged dealer, and Ezequiel David Pereyra, a former employee at the Buenos Aires hotel where the singer died, chose to exercise their right to remain silent during yesterday’s hearing led by Judge Laura Bruniard.  

Following a police investigation, both individuals have been charged with supplying narcotics for payment, a crime that carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison.  

Under Argentinian law, the judge has 10 days following the questioning to decide whether to formalize the charges. She may remand them in custody, release them on bail pending trial, or drop the charges and release them entirely.  

Braian had previously told an Argentine TV journalist that he had consumed marijuana, and the former One Direction star had snorted cocaine during a meeting at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, where Payne was staying before his death.  

However, in the same interview with Guillermo Panizza on Telefe Noticias, Braian stated, "I never took drugs to him or accepted any money."  

Pereyra, a 21-year-old identified locally as a hotel worker suspected of delivering drugs to Liam Payne in a Dove soap box, has not made any public statements since being placed under formal investigation.  

According to Argentinian media, the court hearings are set to continue and conclude tomorrow with the questioning of the singer’s close friend, Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, along with hotel chief receptionist Esteban Grassi and head of security Gilda Martin.  

Mr. Nores, who appeared in a TMZ documentary about Payne’s death, claimed that the singer was "in good spirits and perfectly balanced" on the day of his death, rejecting allegations that Payne was intoxicated or behaving erratically before his fatal fall on October 16.  

The businessman, facing accusations that he abandoned Payne prior to his death and allegations of acting as his “de facto” manager, has publicly denied any wrongdoing after being named as one of the men under investigation.