Hayden Panettiere’s mother claims Brian Hickerson pawned some of the actress’s possessions before her death, including a vintage guitar, adding a new allegation to the scrutiny surrounding their turbulent relationship.
Lesley Vogel made the claim in an interview published Sunday by The New York Times. Vogel said Panettiere was “shocked” to discover that more of her belongings were in a storage unit belonging to Hickerson, her on-and-off partner.
Hickerson has not directly responded to the allegation that he pawned her property. His attorneys previously said Panettiere’s death remained under investigation and that police had found no signs of foul play. When Page Six sought comment on the property allegations, his legal team referred the outlet back to that statement.
Panettiere died August 16 at age 36 after she was found unresponsive in Greenville, South Carolina. An Associated Press report based on Greenville police records placed Hickerson and his brother Zach at the apartment. An autopsy found no signs of trauma, police reported no indication of foul play and her official cause of death remains under investigation.
Vogel Says the Dispute Extended to Panettiere’s Money and Belongings
Hayden Panettiere’s Mom Says Brian Hickerson Drained Her, Pawned Her Belongings https://t.co/g6PuHdupM6
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 24, 2026
Vogel told the Times that she became alarmed after learning Hickerson had pawned some of her daughter’s belongings, including a vintage guitar. She also said Panettiere herself was stunned to discover that some of her possessions were being kept in a storage unit under Hickerson’s control. A second person who spoke anonymously to the Times supported the narrower claim that Hickerson had sold some of Panettiere’s property.
Vogel said her efforts to keep Hickerson out of her daughter’s personal and financial affairs contributed to another falling-out between them. Panettiere had described her relationship with Vogel differently in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, writing about the complicated boundaries created when her mother also managed aspects of her career.
TMZ’s account of the Times interview also noted that Hickerson had described himself online as an executive assistant to a “high-profile confidential client.”
Panettiere’s Book Tour Reportedly Had Security Instructions About Hickerson
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The Times also reported that Panettiere’s relationship with Hickerson had become a concern during the May promotion of her memoir. Two people with direct knowledge of the tour, who were granted anonymity, said private security accompanied the actress and that a Barnes & Noble location in Manhattan had been told not to allow Hickerson inside.
The memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, was released May 19 by Grand Central Publishing. Panettiere wrote candidly about addiction, postpartum depression, child stardom and domestic abuse, including her relationship with Hickerson.
Around the same period, Panettiere discussed trying to remove Hickerson from her life during an appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. She said she had eventually called in people who could protect her and prevent him from returning.
“I needed an incredible amount of support and backup,” Panettiere said, explaining that she wanted to make sure there was “no way for him to find his way back in.”
Hickerson Pleaded No Contest to Two Felony Counts in 2021
Hickerson’s history with Panettiere had already resulted in criminal proceedings years before her death. In April 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant or partner stemming from a Los Angeles domestic violence case.
He was sentenced to 45 days in county jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution and a five-year protective order. The remaining charges in the case were dismissed as part of the resolution.
Panettiere had publicly addressed the abuse allegations in 2020, saying she was speaking out in the hope that other people in abusive relationships would seek help. She revisited the relationship in greater detail in This Is Me: A Reckoning, describing both the violence she experienced and the difficulty she had breaking the cycle.
Just three days before Panettiere’s death, a judge denied Hickerson’s latest effort to have the felony convictions dismissed or reduced. His attorneys have urged the public not to connect speculation about their relationship history to the ongoing investigation into her death.
Police Have Not Accused Hickerson of Involvement in Panettiere’s Death
According to the Greenville police report, officers arrived to find paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive Panettiere. Hickerson and his brother were present, and Brian directed an officer to a bag containing medications Panettiere had been taking.
Emergency personnel were unable to revive her. The autopsy found no trauma that contributed to her death, and authorities said officers saw no signs of foul play.
Hickerson’s attorney subsequently said, “Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” adding that there would be no further comment out of respect for Panettiere’s loved ones and the investigation.