Brian Hickerson, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of actress Hayden Panettiere, was allegedly involved in a violent altercation in 2010 alongside his brother and father, years before he ever began dating Panettiere, according to South Carolina court records obtained by the Daily Mail. Now his older half-sister, Ashley Hickerson, has spoken publicly about her brother and why she believes Panettiere kept returning to him despite years of violence in their relationship.
'If I can say one thing about Brian, it's that he is the most charismatic person and he draws you in,' Ashley Hickerson told the Daily Mail. She shares a father with half-siblings Brian and Zachary Hickerson.
Panettiere, 36, died of an apparent overdose in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16 after suffering cardiac arrest. She had been staying in an Airbnb. Both Brian and Zachary, with whom Panettiere allegedly also had a brief secret romance, were at the scene when she was declared dead.
'I get why Hayden was with him,' Ashley said. 'Brian is just the type of person who can make you laugh no matter what and he can be fun. We all have our demons. Brian was not raised that way. It wasn't until he got into drugs that he went south.'
A 2010 mob assault charge
South Carolina records show Hickerson, then 21, was charged in November 2010 with two counts of third-degree assault and battery by mob, stemming from an incident nine days earlier in the family's Greenville hometown. His father, David Hickerson, now 72, and brother Zachary, 38, were hit with the same charges over the same incident. The obscure charges left little subsequent public record, and it is unclear how the case was ultimately resolved. The Daily Mail has contacted David, Brian and Zachary Hickerson for comment.
Ashley confirmed the family remembers the episode. 'Some people caused a riot with them in 2010,' she said, adding: 'That's what my dad told me.'
Earlier signs of trouble
Eight years later, more violent confrontations surfaced within the Hickerson family. In August 2018, RadarOnline obtained 911 logs indicating Brian and Zachary got into a fight at Panettiere's Hollywood Hills home. Then, in October 2018, police were called to another violent scene at the family's Greenville home while Panettiere was there, this time involving Brian and his father, David.
That confrontation was reported at the time, but a previously overlooked passage in the police report shows trouble had already surfaced between Brian and Panettiere. During the investigation, Panettiere told the responding officer that Hickerson had 'destroyed her kitchen' the previous April, months before allegations that he had physically abused her became public.
The October 2018 police report
A police officer was dispatched to the Hickerson home shortly before midnight on October 26 following a report of a 'domestic assault in progress.' Looking through the front windows before entering, he saw David Hickerson with what appeared to be blood on his face, with Brian behind him holding an object in both hands, appearing to chase his father through the kitchen, the officer wrote.
Panettiere, then in the early months of her relationship with Brian, was inside and appeared 'frantic' when officers arrived, struggling to unlock the front door. Brian was 'visibly agitated, trembling and flexing his body and cursing' when the officer confronted him, according to the report. He was handcuffed while officers established what had happened.
Brian denied assaulting his father. David likewise declined to accuse his son, saying his injuries came from a fall, although the report noted the bruising on his face 'appeared to be severe.' The case was ultimately recorded as 'exceptionally cleared' because the victim declined to cooperate.
Arrests and conviction
Brian was arrested multiple times beginning in May 2019 over alleged violence against Panettiere, before pleading no contest in 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a partner. He was sentenced to 45 days in county jail, of which he served 13, along with four years of probation and 52 domestic violence classes.
Panettiere later spoke publicly about the abuse and the complicated bond that repeatedly drew her back to Brian. Brian has also taken responsibility for his actions. 'I got arrested for abusing her,' he told TMZ in an interview this past May, after Panettiere's memoir was published, adding that he wouldn't blame her friends for being angry with him. Discussing one particularly ugly episode included in the memoir, Brian said: 'I did it. I did it.'
Sister defends his progress
Ashley pointed out that her brother had owned up to his actions in the past and had worked on his issues. 'He is the type of person - he did seek treatment and he was getting help,' she told the Daily Mail. 'He did own up to his s**t.' She said she understood the attraction that kept drawing Panettiere back to her brother, describing his charm as extraordinary despite violent behavior she attributed to substance abuse.
Family grieving
Despite the well-publicized troubles between Brian and Panettiere, Ashley said the Hickerson family is now grieving her death. 'A massive tragedy has happened,' she said. 'My family is really feeling this loss as well. If I could be with them I would.'
She said their father, David, who was himself at the center of the 2018 confrontation, has been particularly affected. 'My dad is devastated,' Ashley said. 'He's taken it pretty hard.'
Ashley, who has served in the Navy since 2006 and works in military police, stressed the violent episodes did not reflect the family in which Brian grew up. 'My family, they are amazing people,' she said. 'I'm very protective of them. My family and every family have their own issues.'
