One year after One Direction star Liam Payne’s death, family members are still waiting for closure, with a lengthy police investigation still underway with no trial date in sight
It’s been one year since the tragic death of Liam Payne, and police are reportedly still combing through 800 hours of CCTV footage surrounding the One Direction star’s death.
The singer-songwriter, who rose to global stardom as part of the boy band One Direction, died on October 16, 2024, following a horror fall from his third-floor hotel room balcony.
Wolverhampton-born Liam was just 31 years old at the time of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, far away from home and his young son Bear, whom he shared with fellow popstar Cheryl. Naturally, the tragedy sparked an outpouring of emotion far and wide, as fans gathered to remember Liam at vigils held in cities across the world.
The following month, those who knew the musician best said their final goodbyes at a private funeral held at Saint Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. A floral ‘Daddy’ tribute, spelt out in white roses, drove home the deep personal loss away from the spotlight in which Liam’s career had played out.
In January 2025, a UK inquest ruled Liam’s cause of death to be polytrauma, when a person sustains multiple injuries to the body. A toxicology report also confirmed that traces of cocaine, alcohol and prescription antidepressants had been found in his system.
Now, as thoughts once more return to Liam and the family he left behind, questions remain, with police officers continuing to trawl through some 800 hours of CCTV footage.
READ MORE: Where are Liam Payne’s accusers now as his family mark one year since his tragic death?
Suspects rotting in jail
Two suspects have been charged with supplying drugs to Liam, both of whom deny the allegations. Braian Paiz, 25, and Ezequl David Pereya, 22, a former hotel worker, have been locked up since January and could be looking at a 15-year stretch if convicted. However, at the time of writing, no trial date has been set.
Paiz, who is currently languishing in a remand cell with 15 other inmates, claims he “fears for his life” behind bars, where he’s been subjected to physical abuse and threats of electrocution. In an interview with Argentinian publication Gente earlier this year, Paiz, who is nicknamed “killer” by fellow prisoners, insisted: “I’m just a working lad who crossed paths with a star. Today I’m paying for that coincidence with my freedom.”
The former restaurant worker once served wealthy customers, including Liam, at Cabana Las Lilas, in the swish neighbourhood of Puerto Madero. Now he spends his days in the same Buenos Aires police cell he’s been incarcerated in since the beginning of the year, in a maximum security prison, filled with some of Argentina’s most dangerous crooks.
It is, however, expected that Paiz will be transferred to a federal prison before his trial begins. Describing the treatment he is allegedly currently subjected to, Paiz revealed: “I live with 15 people in a cell and they treat me like a rat. My meals arrive cold. I live surrounded by violence. I’m being medicated. I’m taking Sertraline, Risperidone and Promazepine.”
Paiz has admitted to taking drugs with Liam, but maintains that he never sold him narcotics. Meanwhile, public prosecutors say that their case against Pereyra and Paiz is based on phone, CCTV and witness evidence.
Lengthy police investigation
As reported by The Sun, Argentinian police are still combing through 800 hours of CCTV footage, as well as information found on laptops and mobile phones, in what has been described as a “frustrating” investigation. A Buenos Aires source told the publication: “Police are still looking through Liam’s laptop and the mobile phones of people connected to the inquiry. It’s very frustrating as the likelihood of a trial still seems a long way off, and there is a sense that the police investigation is too slow.”
It was also reported that a phone belonging to a suspect, which was seized back in November, was not searched by officers until March. This is despite this device having been used to contact Liam in his final days.
Trial date yet to be set
This same source continued: “The current evidence has been looked at by four judges and sent back for more work and examination. The last prosecuting official looked at the case in September, and it’s now gone back to the original judge, who is re-examining the evidence. Clearly, more needs to be combed through, such as the 800 hours of CCTV, the mobile phones and Liam’s laptop.”
Under Argentinian law, the prosecutor’s office gathers evidence to present before a judge, who then has to decide whether or not to proceed to trial. It’s understood that Liam’s loved ones remain hopeful that a trial will eventually unfold, and that they are being kept updated on the latest developments.
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