“I’ll Give You 10 Seconds to Run”: Hayden Panettiere Exposed Her Abusive Ex’s “Dark Place”—Now He Faces a Major Legal Blow

Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere’s former boyfriend, had his latest attempt to reduce and dismiss his felony convictions denied just three days before the actress died at 36. A Los Angeles judge rejected Hickerson’s request on August 13, according to court documents obtained by Page Six and confirmation from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The convictions are from a series of domestic violence incidents involving Panettiere between May 2019 and January 2020. Hickerson pleaded no contest in April 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend after prosecutors initially charged him with eight counts. His latest petition argued that he had completed the conditions of his probation, but prosecutors opposed both the request to reduce the felonies to misdemeanors and the request to expunge them.

This was not Hickerson’s first attempt to change his criminal record. He made a similar request in July 2025, and the court denied that petition as well. His 2021 sentence included 45 days in county jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes and a five-year restraining order. He ultimately served 33 days after receiving credit for time already spent in custody.

The timing of the latest ruling comes as Panettiere’s history with Hickerson has received renewed attention following her death. The actress had previously spoken publicly about the abuse she experienced during their relationship, including in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

Panettiere Documented the Abuse in Her Memoir

Panettiere and Hickerson began dating in 2018, but their relationship involved multiple domestic violence incidents and arrests. In February 2020, police in Jackson, Wyoming, arrested Hickerson after alleging that he punched Panettiere “with a closed fist on the right side of her face” at a private residence.

Panettiere later acknowledged that leaving the relationship was not as simple as cutting off contact. In a May interview with Us Weekly, she compared getting an abusive person out of her life to pulling out a weed with roots so tangled that more of it keeps resurfacing. She said the Wyoming incident helped push her in the right direction, but that she still struggled to completely end the relationship.

That history also informed what Panettiere chose to include in her memoir. In May, Hickerson described an incident he said he did not want Panettiere to include in the book, recalling how he threatened her with a phone while drunk.

“Hayden, I’ll give you 10 seconds to run as fast as you can before I throw it at you.”

Hickerson recalled making the threat while Panettiere stood across the room. He also acknowledged that he had been in what he described as a “dark place” during their relationship, referring to his struggles with drugs and alcohol.

Hickerson said reading about himself in Panettiere’s memoir was difficult, but he also described the experience as one that required him to be vulnerable about what had happened. Panettiere’s decision to include the incident gave readers a direct account of a threatening episode that she had experienced during the relationship.

The actress had also previously discussed how difficult it was to maintain distance from Hickerson despite the abuse. Her comments offered context for why the relationship continued to be a complicated part of her life after his arrests and conviction.

Hickerson’s Legal Setback Came Days Before Panettiere’s Death

Judge Olivia Rosales denied Hickerson’s latest petition on August 13. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the decision to Page Six on August 17, one day after Panettiere died.

Panettiere was found unresponsive at an apartment complex in South Carolina on August 16. According to 911 dispatch audio obtained by Page Six, emergency responders performed chest compressions and used advanced cardiac life support before pronouncing her dead at 2:32 p.m.

Narcan, a medication commonly used to reverse an opioid overdose, was reportedly found at the scene, according to TMZ. The circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death remain separate from Hickerson’s criminal case, and the latest court ruling does not indicate any connection between the two events.

Panettiere was 36. Panettiere built a career through roles in Heroes and Nashville, and her death has renewed public interest in her work and the personal struggles she previously discussed.

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