Hayden Panettiere died in South Carolina at age 36 after going into cardiac arrest, following a tumultuous on-off relationship with Brian Hickerson and just days after a Los Angeles judge denied Hickerson’s petition to expunge past domestic violence felony convictions.
Emergency responders arrived at the residence following a 911 call concerning cardiac arrest, initiating advanced life support measures before Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
An autopsy completed on August 17 revealed no signs of trauma contributing to the death, with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office and the Greenville City Police Department launching a parallel investigation to determine the cause and manner, which remain pending further studies. Hickerson was reportedly asleep in another room when his brother, Zach Hickerson, discovered the actress unresponsive.
Rejected Court Petitions and Past Legal Battles
The tragedy unfolded just three days after Hickerson suffered a significant setback in his ongoing criminal record proceedings. On August 13, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Olivia Rosales denied Hickerson’s motion to expunge and reduce two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend to a misdemeanor, a decision confirmed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors had strongly objected to both motions during the hearing.
Hickerson’s legal jeopardy stemmed from an eight-count criminal indictment covering a series of abusive incidents directed at Panettiere between May 2019 and January 2020. In April 2021, Hickerson accepted a plea deal, pleading no contest to two felony counts while the remaining six counts were dismissed. A judge sentenced him to 45 days in county jail, four years of formal probation, 52 mandatory domestic violence classes, and a five-year restraining order. Although his petition noted that he had fulfilled probation conditions, this marked his second failed attempt at relief, following a similar denied request in July 2025.
A Tumultuous History of Abuse and Intimidation
The couple’s four-year on-and-off relationship was marked by high-profile arrests and public legal battles. In May 2019, Hickerson was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence following an incident involving the Bring It On: All or Nothing
star, though that case was dismissed that September. Less than a year later, on Valentine’s Day in 2020, officers arrested Hickerson in Jackson, Wyoming, after he allegedly struck Panettiere in the face with a closed fist inside a private residence.
Court documents obtained by TMZ from the Wyoming criminal case revealed that Hickerson subsequently sent threatening text messages and emails designed to intimidate Panettiere into dropping the case while he was subject to a protective order.
“Time to go to war I guess.”
Brian Hickerson, via TMZ
Another message warned, After Wyoming and LA disappears so do the videos,
while further texts threatened that vaulted material would be released if he served prison time. Panettiere later detailed her struggles with physical abuse in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning,
describing how difficult it was to permanently sever ties with an abusive partner. Even after splitting for good in July 2022, Panettiere spoke publicly about attempting to live in a place of forgiveness
after Hickerson completed treatment and served his time, though sources close to the actress noted that friends remained deeply concerned over her renewed association with him.
Prior Financial Instability and Bankruptcy Filings
In July 2022, the aspiring actor and former medical assistant filed for bankruptcy, listing $25,700 in total assets against approximately $60,000 in liabilities. At the time of the filing, Hickerson reported an average monthly income of $0.00 alongside $1,248 in monthly expenses.
His listed assets included $6,250 in a checking account, a 1990 Ford Bronco with 160,000 miles, an inoperable 2008 Toyota Prius, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and a Chevrolet Silverado truck that he noted belonged to his father. His total debt load comprised nearly $20,000 in credit card expenses and roughly $18,000 in unpaid medical bills before the case was closed months later.
