Hayden Panettiere‘s ex Brian Hickerson was reportedly accused of drug use three days earlier than the actress’ sudden demise at 36.
In response to courtroom information obtained by Individuals on Friday, August 21, prosecutors accused Hickerson, 37, of continued drug use amid his efforts to expunge his home violence convictions. Neither Hickerson nor his legal professional attended the listening to.
Through the listening to that occurred on August 13, prosecutors argued that Hickerson’s petition to expunge his two felony counts of corporal damage to a partner/cohabitant ought to be denied. (Hickerson was convicted in 2021 after pleading no contest in a home violence case involving Panettiere. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail, for which he spent 13 days behind bars, 4 years of formal probation, 52 home violence courses and a five-year protecting order. Hickerson additionally needed to pay $500 in restitution.)
On the listening to final week, a prosecutor argued that Hickerson appeared “fairly excessive on what seems to be a stimulant,” claiming he was “very clearly not sober” throughout a latest interview, per the outlet. The prosecutor alleged that Hickerson spoke “for quarter-hour in regards to the abuse that’s been documented in his sufferer’s bestselling ebook, and he makes a number of admissions about that.” (Hickerson was interviewed by TMZ in Could following the discharge of Panettiere’s memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.)
The prosecutor additionally said that Hickerson “was excessive and arrested at a neighborhood restaurant in West Hollywood” in August 2025.
Us confirmed that Hickerson was arrested twice inside a matter of days, the primary time at a bar on August 2, 2025, and once more on August 6, 2025. Information present that he was cuffed at 5:14 p.m. on August 2, booked at 5:45 p.m. and launched at 3:17 a.m. the next morning. On August 6, he was arrested simply earlier than 8 a.m., booked at 9:12 a.m. and launched later that night.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Division confirmed to Us that expenses for each arrests have been “underneath the affect of a managed substance.”
In response to information considered by Us, Hickerson did have a listening to on August 13, which was three days earlier than Panettiere’s demise. His expungement request was in the end denied by a decide.
Following the listening to final week, the L.A. County D.A.’s Workplace instructed Individuals in a press release that prosecutors opposed Hickerson’s petition “based mostly on the person’s Aug. 2, 2025, arrest” and what they characterised as his “continued demonstrable drug use.”
Us has reached out to Hickerson’s legal professional and the prosecutor within the case for remark.
Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16. She was discovered unresponsive at a residence in South Carolina by Brian and his brother, Zach Hickerson. Emergency companies arrived on the scene to carry out “superior cardiac life assist measures,” however the actress was pronounced useless that afternoon.
Hayden Panettiere felt compelled to set agency boundaries with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson within the months earlier than her demise, together with taking steps to guard herself. “She helped him every so often as a result of he made her really feel responsible, claiming he was attempting to show his life round, however couldn’t as a result of she put him in jail,” a […]
An post-mortem was accomplished and located “no indicators of trauma that will have contributed” to Panettiere’s demise, per the coroner’s workplace. The trigger and method of her demise “stay pending additional investigation and the completion of extra research.”
The New York Occasions reported on Thursday, August 20, that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was investigating Panettiere’s demise.
Brian broke his silence on Panettiere’s demise in a press release shared through his legal professional Sloan Ellis.
“Hayden’s demise stays underneath investigation and it is very important permit that investigation to proceed,” Ellis instructed Us on Thursday. “As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there have been no indicators of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s family members and the continued investigation, there will likely be no additional remark presently.”
