Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, was confronted in court over alleged drug use just three days before the actress died at 36, according to media reports.
Panettiere was found unresponsive at a South Carolina apartment on Sunday, August 16, and was later pronounced dead following a suspected overdose.
Hickerson’s brother, Zach, has since spoken publicly about Panettiere’s final moments, telling TMZ in a statement that Hickerson gave the actress Narcan after they “realized she was unconscious.”
The court hearing took place on August 13, just days before her death, after Hickerson filed a July 20 request seeking to have domestic violence convictions removed from his record, according to People.
Hickerson argued that he had completed the terms of his probation, but prosecutors pushed back against the request, citing alleged ongoing drug use and two separate arrests in Los Angeles in 2025, the magazine reported.
In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring Panettiere. He received a sentence of 45 days in jail and four years of probation, along with $500 in fines and required domestic violence classes.
Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, was reportedly called out in court over alleged drug use just three days before the actress’s death at 36; Panettiere and Hickerson pictured in 2019
The August 13 hearing came after Hickerson filed a July 20 request to expunge domestic violence convictions from his record, according to People; Panettiere pictured in 2023 in NYC
Panettiere’s on-and-off felon ex did not make an appearance at the hearing last week, nor did his attorney.
Hickerson had been arrested at a West Hollywood bar called Barney’s Beanery in August 2025.
However, he was not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence at the time.
He was arrested again later that same month and was charged with a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to People.
Earlier this year in January, Hickerson ‘submitted proof’ that he completed 10 Narcotics Anonymous sessions. The misdemeanor charge was then dismissed.
During the hearing, prosecutors additionally cited a TMZ interview that Hickerson did back in May where he appeared ‘quite high’ and ‘very clearly not sober,’ per People.
Regarding the interview, the D.A. said that Hickerson ‘speaks for 15 minutes about the abuse that’s been documented in his victim’s best-selling book, and he makes several admissions about that,’ per TMZ.
‘And more significantly to his request today, he is quite high on what appears to be a stimulant, notwithstanding his lawyer’s representations that he is seeking expungement because he is now sober.’
Earlier this year in January, Hickerson ‘submitted proof’ that he completed 10 Narcotics Anonymous sessions. The misdemeanor charge was then dismissed’; seen in 2018
Back in 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring Panettiere. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and four years’ probation, plus $500 in fines and mandatory domestic violence classes; late actress seen in 2022
A judge denied Hickerson’s petition at the hearing.
Hickerson had previously attempted to remove the convictions from his record one year earlier in July 2025, with the petition also being opposed by prosecutors, per People.
The Los Angeles County D.A.’s Office told People in a statement following the August 13 hearing Hickerson’s petition was opposed due to ‘continued demonstrable drug use’ as well as last year’s arrest.
Daily Mail reached out to a rep for comment. An attorney for Hickerson denied to comment.
Panettiere tragically passed away on August 16 at the age of 36.
Hickerson’s brother, Zach, recently broke his silence on the actress’s final moments in a statement to TMZ.
Hickerson administered Narcan to Panettiere after he and his brother, Zach, found her unconscious in their Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina.
Zach, who said he wanted to ‘clarify my involvement’ in the situation, said he was calling 911 while Hickerson gave Panettiere the medication, which is typically administered to reverse an opioid overdose.
Zach said he, Hickerson and the actress were planning to get lunch and go indoor golfing after he attended church.
Hickerson administered Narcan to Panettiere after he and his brother, Zach, found her unconscious in their Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina; seen in 2024
‘I immediately called 911 and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived,’ Zach said; Panettiere seen in 2024 in NYC
He called and texted Panettiere and his brother as he was leaving the Sunday service, but didn’t hear back from them, he recalled.
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Zach assumed the pair were sleeping so he drove back to the rental, but he didn’t have the door code to the unit so he couldn’t get in.
‘I knocked loudly which apparently woke Brian up from a nap they were both taking on the pull out couch bed in the living room. When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious,’ he said.
‘I immediately called 911 and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived.’
‘At that point we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life,’ he added.
Zach says he is ‘beyond heartbroken and devastated’ by Panettiere’s death.
He shared how over the past eight years the actress had become one of my ‘dearest and closest friends,’ adding that she was someone he loved and cared for deeply.
He urged for an end to the ‘assumptions, speculations and accusations’ that are swirling around the star’s death.
Details about Panettiere’s final moments come just hours after her ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko paid a heartbreaking tribute to the actress on what would have been her 37th birthday; seen in 2013 in Milan
Sharing a photo of the actress on August 21, the boxer wrote: ‘Today is Hayden’s birthday. Instead of celebrating the way we had planned, today we celebrate her life, her spirit, and the love she brought into this world’
Zach claimed the ‘truth’ will come out once police have completed their investigation.
The Heroes star was later declared dead following the suspected overdose.
Details about Panettiere’s final moments come just hours after her ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko paid a heartbreaking tribute to the actress on what would have been her 37th birthday.
Sharing a photo of the actress on August 21, the boxer wrote: ‘Today is Hayden’s birthday. Instead of celebrating the way we had planned, today we celebrate her life, her spirit, and the love she brought into this world.
‘I want to thank all of Hayden’s fans, friends, and everyone who has reached out for the incredible outpouring of love and support. At a time filled with so much sadness, your kindness has reminded me that there is still so much good in humanity.
‘If you’re reading this, I ask just one thing: Even if only for a moment, think about LOVE. Reach out to a friend. Forgive someone. Be kind. Love is a superpower. Use it.
‘Happy Birthday, Hayden. You are loved, you are missed, and you will never be forgotten.’
The actress had a daughter with the boxer. In 2018, when Kaya was three, she signed full custody to her ex amid her battle with postpartum depression and addiction and Wladimir moved their daughter to his native Ukraine.
On Monday, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that the post-mortem had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body.
The actress had a daughter with the boxer. In 2018, when Kaya was three, she signed full custody to her ex amid her battle with postpartum depression and addiction and Wladimir moved their daughter to his native Ukraine
On Monday, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that the post-mortem had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body; seen in 2005
Further investigations will take place to establish her cause of death, with chief deputy coroner Shelton England telling Our News Outlet that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory.
On Thursday, Hickerson addressed the star’s death through his lawyers.
‘Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,’ said his attorney Sloan Ellis, from the Ellis Hinton law firm.
‘As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play.
‘Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.’
A Greenville police officer who responded to the residence Sunday afternoon was met by the brothers and then observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman, according to a police report.
Earlier, a representative for Panettiere confirmed her death, saying her family would remember her as an ‘incredible light’ who brought ‘immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her’; seen in 2017 in NYC
‘The patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive,’ the officer noted. After attempting lifesaving measures, the emergency workers declared Panettiere dead at 2:31pm on Sunday.
Panettiere and Hickerson were said to have flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina one day before she died.
Hickerson is originally from Greenville, public records show. It is unclear what the purpose of the couple’s visit was.
Earlier, a representative for Panettiere confirmed her death, saying her family would remember her as an ‘incredible light’ who brought ‘immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her.’
