Aariel Maynor gets 150 years in prison for the murder of Jacqueline Avant
A convicted felon who shot and killed Jacqueline Avant, the wife of renowned music executive Clarence Avant - during a robbery at their Beverly Hills home last year, was sentenced Tuesday to a minimum of 150 years in prison.
Aariel Maynor, 30, appeared in the Airport Courthouse, where he was sentenced by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathryn Solorzano to three life terms.
"I think that the family obviously wanted the highest level of accountability to keep this person away from the community and I believe that we gave that," said L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon. "Nothing is going to be true closure for the family. This pain will go on forever for the Avant family. What we're trying to do is mitigate that and do the best we can to give them the accountability they deserve and that the rest of the community deserves."
The 81-year-old Avant was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Dec. 1 in the 1100 block of Maytor Place. Her 90-year-old husband, renowned music executive Clarence Avant, along with a security guard, were present at the time of the shooting, but were not hurt, Beverly Hills police said.
During a March 3 hearing, Maynor pleaded guilty to the killing. He also admitted shooting at a security guard -- who was not wounded -- during the home invasion.
Maynor pleaded guilty to one count each of murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of residential burglary with a person present. He also admitted allegations of using an assault long barrel pistol during the crimes, along with admitting prior robbery convictions from 2013 and 2018.
L.A. County Superior Court Judge Kathryn Solorzano noted that Maynor had been released on parole for the 2018 robbery in September 2021, just a few months before Avant's killing.
Prosecutors said Avant was shot after confronting Maynor, who also fired "multiple shots" at the couple's security guard, striking a vehicle. Maynor subsequently broke into a different home in the Hollywood Hills area and accidentally shot himself in a foot. LAPD officers responding to that burglary call found Maynor at the scene.
Clarence Avant is known as the Godfather of Black Music and has been regularly celebrated by artists such as Jay-Z and Diddy, L.A. Reid and Babyface. He began as a talent manager in the 1950s, worked at Venture Records in Southern California and founded L.A.-based Sussex Records and Avant Garde Broadcasting. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October.
Jacqueline Avant served as president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group that focused on child care. She was also on the board of directors of UCLA's International Student Center. She was also a member of the board for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Jacqueline and Clarence Avant have two children -- Nicole and Alexander. Nicole Avant, a film producer who served as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas during President Barack Obama's administration, is the wife of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.