Police have arrested a suspect in the murder of Jacqueline Avant, wife of music executive Clarence Avant.
She was found murdered at her family’s mansion in California during a home invasion.
The man believed to be responsible is Aariel Mayor.
via Heavy:
Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook released the suspect’s name in a news conference. He said that Maynor, 29, of Los Angeles, is in custody, and the motive remains under investigation, including whether the slaying was random or “targeted.” However, he revealed that Maynor shot himself in the foot in a burglary an hour later at another home, leading to his capture.
Stainbrook also spoke about Jacqueline Avant’s death in a previous news conference attended by the mayor and city council members.
Aariel Maynor is the Los Angeles man who is accused in the murder of Jacqueline Avant, a Beverly Hills philanthropist and the wife of a prominent music executive, Clarence Avant. She was found murdered at her family’s mansion in California.
Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook released the suspect’s name in a news conference. He said that Maynor, 29, of Los Angeles, is in custody, and the motive remains under investigation, including whether the slaying was random or “targeted.” However, he revealed that Maynor shot himself in the foot in a burglary an hour later at another home, leading to his capture.
Stainbrook also spoke about Jacqueline Avant’s death in a previous news conference attended by the mayor and city council members.
“This is a difficult day for our city,” he said.
The police chief said it’s not clear whether the suspect knew the Avant family’s background and prominence; Clarence Avant has mentored so many rising musicians that he’s widely known as the “Godfather of Black music.”
It’s also not clear how long Maynor was inside the house. “Someone went into the home, we don’t know the purpose behind it,” said Stainbrook before Maynor’s arrest. “The motive remains under investigation,” Stainbrook said after Maynor’s name was released. “There is only one suspect…It’s too early in the investigation to get to the motive; it may have been random, may have been targeted, for what purpose we don’t know. We’re still looking at that.”
Stainbrook described the murder as extremely rare for Beverly Hills. He said that crime is generally low in the wealthy community.
According to NBC News, it’s not clear whether Clarence Avant was home when his wife was murdered.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Maynor “used an AR-15 rifle during the shooting and then shot himself in the foot at another home during a robbery in Hollywood.”
In the news conference announcing Maynor’s arrest, Stainbrook said that “multiple surveillance videos including city cameras showed the suspect’s vehicle heading eastbound out of Beverly Hills shortly after Mrs. Avant was shot.”
At 3:30 a.m., after the murder, the Los Angeles police Hollywood division responded to a reported shooting at a different residence. There, they found Maynor in the backyard with a gunshot wound to his foot, the chief said. “It was determined that a burglary had occurred at that residence, and Maynor had accidentally shot himself in foot,” Stainbrook said.Maynor was arrested and transported to a local hospital. He has been in custody ever since.
“Evidence connected him to the crime in our city including a suspected weapon. The investigation leads us to believe there are no further threats to public safety,” said Stainbrook.
Police found Jacqueline Avant dead in her home about an hour before that burglary. On December 1, 2021, at 2:23 a.m., police received a phone call about a shooting that had just occurred, Stainbrook said. They arrived and discovered a victim with a gunshot wound. The suspect was no longer on the scene.
The victim, 81-year-old Jacqueline Avant, did not survive. “The Avant family’s contributions to the world of entertainment and to better communities across Los Angeles are unmatched,” said Stainbrook.
So sad.
