The on-and-off boyfriend of actress Hayden Panettiere has broken his silence following the actress’s sudden death, days after a police report revealed he was at the South Carolina apartment complex when she was found unresponsive. Attorney Sloan Ellis, representing Brian Hickerson, shared a brief statement Thursday, offering the first public comment from the man who had reconciled with Panettiere in the months before she died Aug. 16 at age 36.
The disclosure adds a wrenching final chapter to a relationship long defined by public legal turmoil. According to a police incident report obtained by news outlets, Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex in Greenville when the “Heroes” star experienced a medical emergency. Both men were on the premises when she was discovered, the report said, and authorities later executed a search warrant at the residence.
What the Police Report Revealed
Officer Matthew Bryan said in his report that Zach Hickerson appeared distraught while medics attempted to save Panettiere, while Brian Hickerson showed little outward emotion until she was declared deceased.
Bryan noted he was wearing a body camera throughout the emergency response. The footage recorded on that device has not yet been publicly released.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the apartment building following a mid-afternoon call on Sunday reporting someone in cardiac distress, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed. First responders initiated cardiac life support measures, but the efforts were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. An autopsy was completed Monday, and officials said the examination revealed no physical injuries that could have caused her death. The cause of death remains pending further investigation. A 911 call obtained by multiple outlets indicated the “Scream” franchise actress was in cardiac arrest after a possible overdose.
A History Marked by Abuse Allegations
Hickerson’s presence at the scene marked a striking coda to a relationship that had previously led to domestic violence charges and a conviction. Panettiere and Hickerson, an aspiring actor from South Carolina, connected through shared acquaintances in 2018 following her separation from former partner and heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. Their romance appeared to end in 2020 amid allegations of domestic violence. The pair broke up briefly in 2022 but rekindled their relationship the following year, and in recent months they fueled speculation of a reconciliation after being photographed together.
Law enforcement initially arrested Hickerson on domestic violence allegations related to Panettiere in 2019. The following year brought a second arrest involving eight felony counts, including charges for causing bodily harm to an intimate partner, wielding a dangerous weapon in an assault, and committing battery against a romantic partner. In 2021, he entered a no contest plea to two felony counts of causing injury to an intimate partner and received a sentence of 45 days behind bars, four years under supervised release, and mandatory completion of 52 sessions addressing domestic abuse. The remaining charges were dismissed under the plea agreement. On Aug. 13, prosecutors objected to a defense motion to expunge and reduce both counts.
In her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released just three months prior to her passing, Panettiere described violent incidents with Hickerson. She recounted one assault so brutal it kept her isolated at home for weeks, and explained that fear of public exposure prevented her from immediately contacting law enforcement.
Family Speaks Out
Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, indicated her daughter’s family had not approved of the rekindled relationship. She told reporters that the person the family had long tried to remove from Panettiere’s life was with her when she died. Vogel, who served as her daughter’s manager from infancy until Panettiere ended their working relationship at 19, added that young people who grow up in the entertainment industry face a struggle and sometimes find the wrong path.
Panettiere rose to fame playing a superpowered teenage cheerleader in the NBC drama “Heroes” and later played a country music star on ABC’s “Nashville.” She shares a daughter, Kaya, with Klitschko, who mourned her publicly, calling her an important part of his life and the mother of their child. Panettiere gave up custody to Klitschko, who lives in Ukraine, following her battle with postpartum depression and addiction. The Greenville Police Department and the coroner’s office continue to investigate.