Judge Rejects Request to Reduce Felony Charges Against Hayden Panettiere's Boyfriend Days Before Her Death
A California judge denied Brian Hickerson's petition to downgrade his 2021 felony domestic-violence convictions, a decision made three days before actress Hayden Panettiere was found dead in South Carolina.
A California judge on Thursday refused to reduce the felony domestic-violence convictions of Brian Hickerson, who had pleaded no contest in 2021 to two counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. Hickerson, who had been in a relationship with actress Hayden Panettiere, had asked that the felonies be reclassified as misdemeanors, but the request was denied.
The decision came three days before Panettiere was discovered dead in South Carolina at age 36. An incident report from August 16, which was partially redacted, lists Hickerson and his brother Zach as witnesses to the circumstances surrounding her death. The report notes that Zach appeared upset while emergency crews attempted to revive Panettiere, and that Hickerson showed emotion only after she was pronounced dead. Police in Greenville continue to investigate, and the coroner’s office indicated that full toxicology and other testing could take up to three months.
"The court has determined that the request to reduce the felony convictions does not meet the legal standards for modification," the judge’s ruling stated.