Brian Hickerson's attorney issues statement after Hayden Panettiere's death

Read the original at ABC News (US) ↗
Cite

Bernabe, A. J. (2026, August 21). Brian Hickerson's attorney issues statement after Hayden Panettiere's death. ABC News (US). https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/brian-hickersons-attorney-issues-statement-after-hayden-panettieres/story?id=135817617

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

ABC News (US) · collected 2026-08-21 · by Angeline Jane Bernabe

Quick Summary

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend Brian Hickerson's attorney released a statement saying there were no signs of foul play in her death and that they won't comment further out of respect for her loved ones. The police report obtained by ABC News revealed that Hickerson was with Panettiere at the time of her death, and his brother Zach was also present. A California judge denied Hickerson's request to reduce his prior domestic violence felony convictions just days before Panettiere's death on August 16. The investigation into Panettiere's death is ongoing, with the DEA joining the case to assist the Greenville City Police Department.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-21, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Hayden Panettiere, a 36-year-old actress known for her roles in "Heroes" and "Nashville", has died. Her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, said she had left the world too soon and was an important part of his life as well as the mother of their daughter, Kaya. Panettiere's official cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation.

The actress was found in cardiac arrest prior to her death in Greenville, South Carolina, with no signs of trauma discovered during an autopsy. She had struggled with substance abuse and postpartum depression in the past. Klitschko shared a tribute on Instagram, saying their family is going through "profound shock and grief" and that Panettiere's death was tragic.

Panettiere began her career as a child actor and gained widespread recognition for her roles in "Heroes" and "Nashville", as well as for voicing the character Dot in Pixar's "A Bug's Life". She would have turned 37 on Friday.

Written for “Hayden Panettiere Death Investigation” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Hayden Panettiere Death Investigation
Crime & Law · 13 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 9% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Actress Hayden Panettiere dies at 36 as investigation continues same event · 100%
NBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 no claims extracted 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles report on Hayden Panettiere's death, with Article B specifically mentioning that it occurred while she was with Brian Hickerson, indicating they are referring to the same incident.”
Hayden Panettiere 'left this world far too soon,' says ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko same event · 100%
ABC News (US)
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 13% hedged 2 of 15 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles report on the death of Hayden Panettiere, with one article mentioning her ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko and the other mentioning her boyfriend Brian Hickerson at the time of her death.”
Hayden Panettiere remembered by co-stars and friends after her death same event · 100%
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 36 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on the death of Hayden Panettiere, including her age at death, the date she died (Sunday), and mention Brian Hickerson being with her at the time of her death”
Hayden Panettiere's ex Wladimir Klitschko says family in 'profound shock and grief' same event · 100%
BBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 3 of 45 📰 publisher trust 69
“Both articles report on the death of Hayden Panettiere, with the same location (Greenville, South Carolina), age at death (36), and lack of foul play”
Hayden Panettiere’s ex-partner Wladimir Klitschko shares ‘profound shock’ in tribute same event · 100%
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⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 4 of 26 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles report on the death of Hayden Panettiere, mentioning it occurred recently and that an investigation is underway.”
Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend was with the actor when she died: police report same event · 100%
CBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 2 of 41 📰 publisher trust 77
“Both articles report on the death of Hayden Panettiere, mentioning the presence of Brian Hickerson and a police investigation.”
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⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 10% hedged 3 of 30 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles report on Hayden Panettiere's death and mention her boyfriend Brian Hickerson, indicating they are describing the same specific incident.”
US actress Hayden Panettiere dies at 36 same event · 90%
Deutsche Welle
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 17 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles report on the death of Hayden Panettiere, with Article A announcing her passing and Article B referencing it in a statement from her boyfriend's attorney”
Hayden Panettiere's mother breaks silence after her death same event · 90%
ABC News (US)
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 27% hedged 3 of 11 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles report on Hayden Panettiere's death, with Article A mentioning her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and the investigation, while Article B focuses on her mother's statement about how she wants Hayden to be remembered”
Hayden Panettiere's death may be inspiring celebrities to protect child actors in Hollywood same event · 90%
CBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 17% hedged 8 of 48 📰 publisher trust 77
“Both articles mention Hayden Panettiere's death and reference a police investigation, suggesting they are reporting on the same incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
9%
2 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
ABC News (US)'s corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
13
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

ABC News (US) · 932 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-04
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Who wrote this

Angeline Jane Bernabe
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 "I'm young, I feel healthy, and the treatments, I will have to say, have just come so far, even in the past five years that, even a life expectancy is just far exceeds what it used to be," he said, adding that he has leaned on a friend of his who is also diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
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🔮 Dolly Parton's last recording of her career will appear on U2's new album.
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🔮 Prince William and Princess Kate were among the star-studded guests at the London premiere for Tom Cruise's new film, "Digger."
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🔮 " Barrett esophagus "may lead to cancer of the food pipe," MedlinePlus states.
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🔮 " "Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time," the statement added.
2026-08-21 · assertive framing · Brian Hickerson's attorney issues statement after Hayden Panettiere's death
Also by Angeline Jane Bernabe
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2026-10-13 · ABC News (US)
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Angeline Jane Bernabe →

Topics

ABC News California DEA EMS Medic 24

Subjects

Panettiere PERSON · 11× Hickerson PERSON · 7× ABC News ORG · 5× Brian Hickerson's PERSON · 2× DEA ORG · 2× EMS ORG · 2× Hayden PERSON · 2× Hayden Panettiere's PERSON · 1× Klitschko PERSON · 1× Wladimir Klitschko PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Panettiere told "Good Morning America" in a statement in 2020: "I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-21
🔮 " "Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time," the statement added.
2026-08-21 · ABC News (US)
Brian Hickerson's attorney issues statement after Hayden Panettiere's death · assertive framing

Claims (23 extracted, 2 hedged)

Brian Hickerson's attorney is speaking out on his behalf following Hayden Panettiere's death. asserted
attorney → speak → death
Hickerson, Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend, was with the late actress at the time of her death, according to a police report obtained by ABC News earlier this week. uncertain
Hickerson → accord → News
Hickerson's attorney shared a statement with ABC News on Thursday, writing, "Hayden's death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed. asserted
investigation → share → investigation
As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. asserted
police → report → play
" "Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time," the statement added. asserted
statement → love → time
Panettiere, known for her roles in "Ice Princess," "Nashville," "Heroes" and more, died on Aug. 16. asserted
Panettiere → know → Aug.
Hickerson and Panettiere started dating in the late summer of 2018, after Panettiere and then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko had split. asserted
Panettiere → start → 2018
Panettiere and Klitschko share a daughter, Kaya. asserted
Panettiere → share → daughter
In previous reporting from ABC News, Panettiere had spoken out about Hickerson's alleged domestic abuse. asserted
Panettiere → speak → abuse
Panettiere told "Good Morning America" in a statement in 2020: "I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve. asserted
they → tell → help
I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again." asserted
man → do → anyone
She added, "I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life.” asserted
me → add → voice
Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in April 2021. asserted
Hickerson → plead → April
In court docs obtained by ABC News on Tuesday, a California judge denied Brian Hickerson's request to reduce his prior domestic violence felony convictions. asserted
judge → obtain → convictions
Hickerson petitioned the court to reduce his felony domestic violence convictions to misdemeanors and to expunge the case from his record. asserted
Hickerson → petition → record
The request was denied on Aug. 13, 2026. asserted
request → deny → Aug.
In the police report obtained by ABC News earlier this week, Hickerson's brother, Zach Hickerson, was also present when Panettiere died. asserted
Panettiere → obtain → News
"I observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden," the officer wrote in the police report. asserted
officer → observe → report
"Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased. asserted
her → become → ?
Medic 24 and S4 were on scene performing life saving measures." The officer added in the report that Brian Hickerson showed them the bag of medication that Panettiere was taking. asserted
Panettiere → perform → that
On Wednesday, the Drug Enforcement Administration joined the investigation into her death, according to sources familiar with the matter. uncertain
Administration → join → matter
The Greenville City Police Department in South Carolina is the lead investigative agency, and the DEA is assisting. asserted
DEA → assist → Carolina
A representative for Panettiere issued a brief statement on Thursday following the DEA's involvement, writing, "There's nothing to be shared at this time as the investigation is ongoing but we are hopeful that justice will be served." asserted
justice → issue → time
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