Ashley Hickerson has spoken out about why Hayden Panettiere kept returning to her troubled brother Brian Hickerson despite years of abuse and arrests.
Brian Hickerson’s older sister, Ashley, said that the late actress, 36, was drawn back repeatedly by Brian’s natural charisma and ability to make people laugh. The real estate agent, who met Panettiere in 2018 and dated her on and off until her death last Sunday, was present at the Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, where she died of an apparent overdose.
“If I can say one thing about Brian, it’s that he is the most charismatic person and he draws you in,” Ashley said in the interview published this week.
“I get why Hayden was with him,” she continued. “Brian is just the type of person who can make you laugh no matter what, and he can be fun.”
Ashley insisted that Brian’s history of domestic violence does not reflect his upbringing. “We all have our demons. Brian was not raised that way,” she said. “It wasn’t until he got into drugs that he went south.”
Brian’s legal troubles predated his relationship with Panettiere. He was arrested in November 2010 at age 21 and charged with two counts of third-degree assault and battery by mob, alongside his father David and brother Zach. Ashley addressed that incident, saying, “Some people caused a riot with them in 2010. That’s what my dad told me.”
Despite the abuse allegations and multiple arrests, Ashley maintained that her brother had tried to address his problems. “He did seek treatment and he was getting help,” she said. “He did own up to his s–t.”
The Hickerson family is grieving Panettiere’s death alongside her own loved ones, Ashley emphasized. “My family is really feeling this loss as well,” she said, calling the “Nashville” alum’s death a “massive tragedy.”
Brian’s attorney, Sloan Ellis, previously said that “Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” Ellis added in the statement that “police confirmed there were no signs of foul play” and declined further comment out of respect for Panettiere’s family and the ongoing investigation.
Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has taken a starkly different public stance. She said that Brian had pawned some of Panettiere’s belongings before she died, including a vintage guitar, and that the “Heroes” alum was shocked to discover personal items in Brian’s storage unit. Vogel has also expressed doubt about Brian’s account of the timeline on the day of Panettiere’s death and has blamed him for her fractured relationship with her daughter.
Brian Hickerson filed for bankruptcy in 2022 following his arrests for domestic violence against Panettiere, compounding his financial difficulties alongside his legal and substance abuse issues.
In the viral moment that preceded this family’s public reckoning, Panettiere was found dead last Sunday at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina. Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were present at the scene. Police have reported no signs of foul play, though the exact circumstances remain under investigation. The actress, who rose to fame as a child star in “Remember the Titans” and later headlined the NBC series “Heroes” and ABC’s “Nashville,” had been open about her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression in recent years.