Jacqueline Avant's Killer Sentenced To 150 Years Behind Bars
By Kristin Myers on April 20, 2022 at 7:30 AM EDT
The two-time convict who fatally shot Jacqueline Avant during a burglary at the couple’s Trousdale Estates home in Beverly Hills was sentenced to 150 years to life in prison on Tuesday, April 19.
As per Deadline, Los Angeles resident Aariel Maynor, 30, pleaded guilty in March to killing the 81-year-old wife of celebrated music exec Clarence Avant back in March. On December 1, he shot her in the back during an attempted Robert at 2:25 AM. Maynor also admitted to shooting at a security guard who was not wounded.
Maynor pled guilty to one count of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pled guilty to two counts of residential burglary with a person present. He also admitted to using an assault long barrel pistol during the crimes.
Man Who Fatally Shot Jacqueline Avant Faces 150 Years To Life In Prison
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathryn Solorzano sentenced Maynor to three life terms. According to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors, Maynor was overheard talking and laughing to a female friend on the phone. He was bragging that he was “all over the news.”
In another phone call, he reportedly bragged to a friend that he would not receive the death penalty or life without parole. According to the memo, Maynor reportedly said, “I’m gonna get out of jail. I’ll probably do like 20, 25, get out… you feel me?”
Judge Solorzano previously noted Maynor’s participation in a 2013 robbery, where he was convicted of kicking a woman in the face and knocking her unconscious. Maynor also had been on parole for a 2018 robbery in September 2021, just a few months before he fatally shot Avant.
According to police, Maynor was apprehended the same night he shot Avant while attempting another home invasion in the Hollywood Hills area. He was apprehended after he accidentally shot himself in the foot, according to Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Mark Stainbrook.
Maynor Reportedly Researched The Avants' Home Address Prior To Break-In
In the prosecutor’s sentencing memorandum, Maynor’s phone records revealed that he had looked up the Avants and searched for their home address just before carrying out the burglary.
District Attorney George Gascón expressed in a written statement, “This crime continues to shock the conscience. Mrs. Avant’s death was a tragic loss felt by our entire community.”
The Avant family issued a statement after the shooting saying, “The entire Avant and Sarandos families wish to thank everyone for their outpouring of love, support and heartfelt condolences for Jacqueline Avant. Jacqueline was an amazing woman, wife, mother and philanthropist and a 55-year resident of Beverly Hills who has made an immeasurable positive impact on the arts community. She will be missed by her family, friends and all of the people she has helped throughout her amazing life.”
Former President Bill Clinton called Avant “a wonderful woman, a great partner to Clarence and mother to Alex and Nicole, an active citizen & a dear friend to Hillary and me for 30 years. She inspired admiration, respect & affection in everyone who knew her. We are heartbroken. She will be deeply missed.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called Avant a longtime friend. “I know we use this term a lot, but she was truly an angel in this City of Angels,” he said. “She and Clarence, Nicole, their daughter, I’ve known for many years and I’ve seen and witnessed the way their generosity touched the lives and transformed the lives and even saved the lives of so many people in this city and in this country.”
Jacqueline Avant Was Well-Known To The Community For Her Philanthropic Efforts
As reported by NBC Los Angeles, Jacqueline Avant had served as president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group that focused on child care, up until the time of her passing. She was also on the board of directors of UCLA's International Student Center. In addition, she served as a member of the board for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Her husband, Clarence Avant, is known as the Godfather of Black Music. Avant first began his music career as a talent manager in the 1950s. He worked at Venture Records in Southern California before he founded the L.A.-based Sussex Records and Avant-Garde Broadcasting.
The couple had two grown children: Nicole and Alexander. Their daughter, Nicole Avant, is a film producer who served as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas during then-President Barack Obama’s administration. She is also the wife of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. She also co-produced the Netflix film “The Black Godfather,” which chronicled her father’s life and career in the entertainment industry.
