Man Who Fatally Shot Jacqueline Avant Sentenced to Life in Prison

The man who fatally shot Jacqueline Avant, wife of famed music executive Clarence Avant, was sentenced to life in prison.

Aariel Maynor, 30, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in March 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. An L.A. County judge handed down his sentence Tuesday.

As previously reported, Maynor opened fire on the 81-year-old philanthropist after breaking into the Beverly Hills home last December.

He was captured in the Hollywood Hills an hour later, where he accidentally shot himself in the foot attempting to burglarize another home.

According to court records, Maynor shot Avant in the back and later laughed and bragged about the killing on a phone call from jail with a female friend. Court docs also said that the killer told the unnamed friend he would serve only 20 to 25 years because prosecutors did not file a “special circumstances” murder charge.

Jacqueline Avant served as president of the Neighbors of Watts. She was also on the board of directors of UCLA’s International Student Center and a board member for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.