Brian Hickerson’s Expungement Bid Rejected Days Before Hayden Panettiere’s Death

Brian Hickerson’s past domestic violence convictions involving actress Hayden Panettiere were at the center of a court hearing just three days before the Heroes star died at age 36.

Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, had asked a Los Angeles judge to clear his felony convictions, saying he had completed the requirements of his probation and was now sober. But prosecutors argued that his recent conduct raised serious questions about that claim.

At an Aug. 13 hearing, prosecutors pointed to a May interview in which Hickerson appeared, in their view, to be under the influence of a stimulant.

The prosecutor told the judge that Hickerson appeared “quite high” and “very clearly not sober” during the interview with TMZ’s Charlie Neff. The prosecutor also said Hickerson discussed the abuse described in Panettiere’s bestselling book and made several admissions about it.

Hickerson and his attorney did not attend the hearing.

The prosecution argued that his apparent condition was particularly important because Hickerson’s lawyer had previously told the court that he was seeking to have his convictions cleared because he was now sober.

The prosecutor also raised Hickerson’s arrests in August 2025.

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Hickerson was arrested on Aug. 2, 2025, at Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood. The D.A.’s Office said the case was later declined for prosecution because of insufficient evidence. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department gave a different arrest date, saying the incident occurred on Aug. 3 and that the case was referred to a diversion program.

Hickerson was arrested again on Aug. 6, 2025, this time on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. The charge was a misdemeanor.

The court subsequently granted him judicial diversion. He was ordered to complete 10 Narcotics Anonymous meetings, obey the law and avoid drugs and alcohol.

Hickerson submitted proof that he had completed the 10 meetings in January 2026. The court later determined that he had completed the diversion program, and the misdemeanor charge was dismissed.

Despite that, the judge rejected his request to erase his domestic violence convictions.

Judge Olivia Rosales ruled that Hickerson “has not remained free of new offenses.”

The decision marked his second unsuccessful attempt in just over a year to clear the felony convictions stemming from the domestic violence case involving Panettiere.

Hickerson pleaded no contest in 2021 to two felony counts of corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution and a five-year protective order. He ultimately served 13 days in jail.

He first sought to have the convictions dismissed in July 2025. Prosecutors opposed that request, and a judge denied the petition on July 18, ordering him to wait a year before trying again.

Hickerson filed his latest petition on July 20, 2026.

The Aug. 13 hearing came only days before Panettiere’s death on Aug. 16. She was 36.

The timing has brought renewed attention to the history between Panettiere and Hickerson, but the court ruling itself concerned Hickerson’s request to clear his criminal record and his compliance with the conditions imposed after his convictions.

The allegations and court proceedings described above do not establish that Hickerson was responsible for Panettiere’s death.