Suspect in Jacqueline Avant Shooting Charged With Murder
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The suspect in the shooting death of Beverly Hills philanthropist Jacqueline Avant was charged with murder on Monday.
Aariel Maynor, 29, of Los Angeles, was also charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing at a security guard, who was unhurt. He also faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of residential burglary.
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Maynor is due to make his first court appearance on Tuesday at the Airport Branch courthouse in Los Angeles County.
Avant, 81, was the wife of music executive Clarence Avant and mother of Nicole Avant, the Democratic fundraiser, film producer and former ambassador. Jacqueline Avant was shot around 2:23 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 1 at her home in the 1100 block of Maytor Place in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood.
About an hour later, police were called to a home in the Hollywood Hills, after a suspect allegedly shot himself in the foot while trying to commit a burglary. Police apprehended Maynor, a recent parolee, and recovered his gun, an AR-15, according to a police briefing last week.
Maynor was released on parole on Sept. 1 and was considered a “transient,” according to the state prison records. He has served stints in prison for robbery and has also been convicted of domestic violence and grand theft, according to court records.
Police have said that surveillance cameras spotted Maynor’s car leaving the Beverly Hills area, headed east toward Hollywood, after the Avant shooting. They have also said they believe the same AR-15 was used in both crimes.
Police are continuing to investigate.
Avant has been remembered by leading figures in the world of music and entertainment, including Pharrell and Oprah Winfrey.
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