Brian Hickerson made a threatening statement on Instagram approximately 10 weeks before the death of his on-again, off-again girlfriend, actress Hayden Panettiere. Panettiere died in South Carolina on a Sunday, reportedly from a suspected overdose. Hickerson was present at the time of her death.
The resurfaced comment, from June and later deleted from Hickerson's account, was in response to a user asking if he was dating someone. Hickerson wrote, "Yes, it’s wonderful if she gets out of line I just Google myself and say hey stop it this is what I’m allegedly capable of." His Instagram account has since been deactivated. |
While it is unclear if Hickerson was dating Panettiere when he made the comment, they were last photographed together in March 2026. An Aug. 16 police report regarding Panettiere's death referred to her as Hickerson's "girlfriend." Hickerson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The aspiring actor's comment likely alluded to his past domestic violence arrests involving Panettiere. He was arrested for domestic violence in May 2019 and again in January 2020 in Los Angeles, facing eight charges for incidents between May 2019 and January 2020. In April 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, girlfriend, or child's parent. He received a sentence of 45 days in jail, four years of probation, 52 domestic violence classes, and $500 in restitution. At that time, Panettiere was granted a five-year protective order against him.
Hickerson was also arrested on Valentine's Day in February 2020 in Jackson, Wyoming, for domestic battery and interference with a police officer. Court documents stated he allegedly punched Panettiere on the right side of her face with a closed fist. He pleaded not guilty to those charges. The "Heroes" actress was granted a restraining order against him in July 2020.
Three days before Panettiere's death, a Los Angeles judge denied Hickerson's motions to expunge and reduce his charges to a misdemeanor.
Panettiere and Hickerson's relationship, which began in 2018, was described as tumultuous and on-again, off-again. Panettiere wrote about her experiences with domestic abuse in her May memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," and discussed their relationship on the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast. She characterized their cycle as "dizzying" and mentioned his remorse when sober.
Authorities responded to an Airbnb in South Carolina for an unresponsive female in cardiac arrest, suspected to be an overdose. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead around 2:30 p.m. Autopsy reports indicated no signs of trauma contributing to her death; toxicology results are pending to determine the cause and manner of death. |
Hickerson was present at the Airbnb at the time of Panettiere's death. His attorney stated that police confirmed no signs of foul play and that an investigation is ongoing. Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, from a previous relationship.