Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend Allegedly Contacted Her Despite Court Order — Newly Revealed Messages Show What He Said

The final hours of “Nashville” actress Hayden Panettiere in South Carolina have cast fresh attention on her complicated relationship with Brian Hickerson. Newly surfaced court records now offer a closer look at a troubling period in their past and what happened after his arrest.

Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive inside a South Carolina Airbnb where Brian Hickerson, her on-and-off boyfriend, was also staying. What unfolded at the apartment became the last chapter of a relationship that had already endured years of legal problems and painful allegations.

Hayden and Brian were both inside the Greenville Airbnb on Sunday, August 16, when Brian’s brother, Zach Hickerson, entered the residence and found Hayden sitting in a chair in the living room, according to TMZ.

Brian was sleeping in another bedroom when Zach discovered Hayden. Zach and Brian called 911, prompting first responders to head to the residence at around 1:50 p.m.

Hayden was in cardiac arrest when emergency personnel arrived. Despite their efforts to revive her, she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

The police report confirmed that Brian was inside the Airbnb when Hayden died, although the circumstances surrounding his presence there were unclear at the time. Hayden was 36.

Hayden starred as Juliette Barnes on “Nashville,” the television series that ran for six seasons. Her role on the country music drama became one of her best-known television performances.

Hayden and Brian had traveled from Los Angeles to South Carolina on Saturday, August 15, and were staying at a unit in Judson Mill Lofts.

A resident of the complex said Hayden appeared not to leave the apartment after arriving. “I was shocked, as I’m sure everyone in Greenville was, to find out she was here,” the neighbor told Page Six.

The resident also noticed two unidentified men sitting with police after the emergency response. “They looked like they were in shock, not speaking, and had their heads down,” the neighbor said.

Police remained at the complex until about 8 p.m., according to the resident’s account. “The coroner vehicle showed up and, of course, I knew then that there was a death,” the resident told the outlet.

By the following morning, the neighbor had learned who had died. “Then woke up this morning to hear that it was Hayden, which is just still shocking,” the resident said.

The events in Greenville brought Hayden and Brian’s complicated history back into focus, including a legal case that had taken a serious turn years earlier.

Hayden Panettiere attends an event in 2022, years before her sudden death at 36. Her death was later reported to be under investigation, with police saying there were no initial signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

Brian was arrested in Wyoming on February 14, 2020, after he allegedly struck Hayden in the face with a closed fist at an Airbnb, according to TMZ’s report.

Officers reportedly found Brian intoxicated and locked out of the home. Hayden told police that Brian had roughed her up in the bedroom, according to the police report.

Her face was reportedly red and swollen, while officers also documented a mark they believed could have been caused by Brian’s watch. The Wyoming arrest followed an earlier California arrest involving allegations that Brian had assaulted Hayden. Those California charges were later dropped after Hayden refused to testify.

Brian was eventually sentenced to about a year in jail over the Wyoming incident. The judge suspended the sentence and instead ordered him to serve a year on probation.

The case also led to a court order barring Brian from contacting Hayden. Court documents later indicated that authorities believed he had nevertheless reached out to her.

According to a probable cause affidavit from the Wyoming case, Hayden’s lawyer contacted authorities after Brian allegedly communicated with her despite the court order.

The lawyer provided officials with emails containing screenshots of text messages, records of missed calls, and short video clips. The material, according to court documents obtained by TMZ, led police to believe that Brian had been using threatening language while the criminal proceedings were underway.

Investigators also believed some of the communications were intended to pressure Hayden to drop the case. The documents contain several alleged messages. One, in particular, carried a strikingly ominous tone.

One alleged text read:

“Time to go to war I guess.”

Another reportedly referenced videos and what could happen to them. “After Wyoming and LA disappears so do the videos.” Brian allegedly followed that with a message about material he claimed was being kept overseas:

“Even if I sit in a jail cell for ten years. All of the stuff that is vaulted overseas with my people will come out the second I step foot into prison. And all that does is hurt your name while simultaneously clearing my name. And at that point who actually cares?”

Some of the other alleged messages appeared to demand a response from Hayden. “Say something, Hayd, so I don’t get defensive and start firing off emails to people to get ready.”

Another reportedly read, “I thought his legal stuff would magically disappear… we gotta figure something out, buddy.”

Authorities also pointed to messages they believed were intended to persuade Hayden to take a step that could affect the case. “It is very simple, it is a very simple fix, between me and you, you gotta make one phone call”

Another alleged message read, “I don’t want to go to court, for you. I will be [expletive] fine in court, trust me, it’s for you.”

The communications became part of the evidence in the case, with authorities viewing them as an attempt to put pressure on Hayden while the criminal proceedings were ongoing.

The relationship did not simply disappear after the legal proceedings. In 2022, Hayden spoke about reconnecting with Brian, although she described them at the time as friends. Her comments acknowledged the painful history while making clear that she wanted to approach it differently.

“None of it is OK, and I want to make sure that everybody knows that,” Hayden said. “But I am open to people who are willing to get help and make amends. He’s gone to treatment and done his time. And I’m trying to live in a place of forgiveness.“

Years after those comments, Hayden and Brian were together again in South Carolina.

In the months before her death, Hayden Panettiere had spoken candidly about her life, recovery, motherhood and the challenges she had faced.

The actress, who was born on August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, traced her career back to infancy, telling NPR that she began baby modeling at 8 months old and filmed her first commercial at 11 months.

The interview focused less on career milestones than on what that childhood cost her. Hayden said she often felt caught between an adult professional world and the childhood she wanted to experience.

“I desperately wanted to fit in. That’s what I wanted more than anything,” she said, recalling that she wanted friends her own age, school and sports.

Hayden was already working as a child actor when she attended the Los Angeles premiere of “A Bug’s Life,” in which she voiced Dot. She later said growing up in the industry left her trying to find a place in both the adult world of acting and among children her own age.

She also spoke about the emotional demands of acting. As a child, Hayden became known for being able to cry on cue, but she said the mental places she had to reach became darker as she grew older.

By adulthood, she said, moving in and out of emotionally intense characters became more difficult. Her experience on “Nashville” was especially complicated.

By 2016, Hayden’s career had taken her from child performer to established actress, pictured here at the Critics’ Choice Awards in Santa Monica. She later reflected that emotionally demanding performances became harder as she grew older.

Hayden told the outlet that storylines involving strained family relationships, postpartum depression, alcoholism and drug addiction increasingly mirrored struggles in her own life. “I stopped being able to tell where the character started and where, you know, I ended,” she said.

On May 26, Hayden appeared at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles for a book signing and panel tied to her memoir, according to People.

During the conversation, she spoke about people who had approached her after hearing her discuss mental health, telling her that her openness had encouraged them to seek help.

For Hayden, those encounters shaped how she thought about the impact she hoped to leave behind. “I was like, This is worth it. I can hopefully leave the world a better place than I found it,” she said.

In a July cover interview with parenting outlet Momé, Hayden spoke candidly about motherhood and the difficult decisions she had made for her daughter, Kaya.

She discussed Kaya’s life-threatening birth, her experience with postpartum depression, and the decision for her 11-year-old daughter to primarily live with her father, former boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

“I’ve been able to put her first no matter how I’ve felt or what I’ve experienced,” Hayden said. She hoped “one day she’ll understand my story, and why I wasn’t able to be with her all the time.”

Hayden also reflected on where she was in her own life at the time of the interview. “I’m a work in progress — we all are,” she said. “I take each day as it comes. I’m doing the work, and I’m doing my best.”

She closed the interview with a message for other mothers facing difficult periods: “You’re stronger than you know. And you’re going to be just fine.”

In the weeks before her death, Hayden shared what would become her final public Instagram post.

Published July 27, the black-and-white photo showed her smiling with photographer and director Randall Slavin. Hayden tagged him and added a sparkle emoji. “Good times and good friends,” she captioned the post.

After news of her death emerged, actress Selma Blair left several emotional messages beneath it, according to The Independent. “I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone. Please. Please,” Selma wrote.

In another comment, she called Hayden “whale tail my friend.” She later added, “I’m dying. Please be here.”

Randall also returned to the July 27 image. He reposted the black-and-white photo to his Instagram Story and wrote, “Peace be with you, H.”

“Bring It On: All or Nothing” star Emme Rylan shared a separate Instagram Story featuring a black-and-white portrait of Hayden marked “1989-2026.” Emme expressed her sadness over Hayden’s death and paid tribute to her as a “sweet soul.”

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) also paid tribute to Hayden in an Instagram post, noting that she had been a member of the union since 1994.

“We join in mourning the sudden passing of Hayden Panettiere. Starting as a child actor, Hayden’s long career in TV and film included memorable roles in ‘Heroes,’ ‘Nashville’ and more. Our hearts are with her daughter, family, friends and fans. May she #RIP. 🕊️,” the union wrote.