A toxicology report in November previously revealed that Payne had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his body in the 72 hours before his death
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New information has been revealed regarding Liam Payne‘s state at his time of death.
A press release by the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 on Friday, Feb. 21 revealed that the One Direction singer had “alcohol concentrations of up to 2.7 grams per liter in blood at the time of death.”
The singer, who died in October after falling off a balcony at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Argentina, also had “cocaine metabolites, methylecgonine, benzoylecgomine, cocaethylene and the medication sertraline” in his system, per the release, which was translated from Spanish.
In blood alcohol concentration (BAC), 2.7 grams per liter equates to .27%, which could lead to confusion, feeling dazed, and disorientation, per Alcohol.com.
The press release also revealed that Braian Paiz‘s prosecution for supplying drugs in exchange for money was confirmed, despite previously denying the claims and saying he did it for free.
Per the judges, “the evidence gathered reveals the onerous nature of the deliveries and enables the confirmation of the prosecution ordered by the previous instance.”
This was proven through security camera footage where, upon arriving at the hotel in the early hours of Oct. 14, “Payne went down to reception to ask for money,” per the release. Meanwhile, a police report made at Paiz’s address confirmed that “all the inhabitants/families of the place have as their main livelihood the sale of narcotic material.”
Lastly, the press release states that when examining the messages between Payne and Paiz, the defendant — who also said the drugs would be “a gift” — sent Payne a text message reading: “The guy with the cigar just answered me, come later if you want.”
Payne responded, “I have 100 US dollars.”
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In November, the prosecutor’s office previously revealed the findings from his toxicology report. In the 72-hour period before his death, Payne had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his body, according to the press release.
“This conclusion was reached after the complete toxicology tests on urine, blood and vitreous humour,” the press release states.
Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
A preliminary autopsy determined that he died of multiple injuries and “internal and external” hemorrhages. Per the BBC, in January, his cause of death was confirmed by an inquest in the UK as “polytrauma,” according to a hearing in December at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court.
The press release in November also states that three people were arrested and charged in Argentina in connection with Payne’s death after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony.
However, on Feb. 21, the prosecutor’s office confirmed that his friend Roger Nores, along with Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi, two employees of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, had charges against them dropped after a hearing in Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Court.
All three were were charged with manslaughter in December relating to Payne’s death and would have faced one to five years in prison if found guilty, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, Ezequiel Pereyra and Paiz, who have been accused of selling Payne drugs, will remain in prison as they await trial. If convicted, they could face four to 14 years behind bars.