Convicted robber, 29, is charged with murdering music exec Clarence Avant's wife Jacqueline during raid at couple's $7m Beverly Hills home: Suspect was caught after shooting himself in foot
A convicted robber suspected of shooting the 81 year-old wife of a famed music producer dead has been charged with the woman's murder.
Aariel Maynor, 29, was charged with killing philanthropist Jacqueline Avant at her $7 million Beverly Hills home following last week's murder, and will be arraigned on Tuesday. Avant was killed while her 90 year-old husband, legendary music producer Clarence Avant, was at home but was not injured.
Maynor, who has a lengthy criminal record, is also charged with the attempted murder of the Avants' security guard, whom he allegedly shot at during the December 1 robbery but did not wound.
He is said to have been apprehended by cops after accidentally shooting himself in the foot during a subsequent attempted robbery nearby. It is unclear if he has been assigned an attorney.
'Mrs. Avant was a treasured member of our community. Her generosity and goodwill touched so many lives,' District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release.
Maynor is additionally charged with one count of felon with a firearm - an assault long barrel pistol - and two counts of residential burglary with person present.
He has previous felony convictions for assault, robbery and grand theft and was on parole at the time of the shooting.
Court records show Maynor pleaded guilty in November 2013 to a robbery charge for which he was sentenced to five years in prison.
In July 2013, he pleaded no contest to a domestic violence incident and was convicted of felony grand theft in June 2010.
Maynor, 29, has previous felony convictions for assault, robbery and grand theft and was on parole at the time of the shooting
Maynor is seen handcuffed to wheelchair as he is being taken in to custody by police after he was caught at the site of another home burglary in Hollywood Hills where he had shot himself in his foot with what is thought to be the same AR-15 he used to kill Avant, last Wednesday
Jacqueline Avant was fatally shot early on Wednesday at her home in Beverly Hills. She is pictured with husband, Clarence
Shocking photos obtained by DailyMail.com show the sliding glass door that was smashed by home invader who killed the wife of legendary music executive Clarence Avant
Investigators work the scene of Jaqueline Avant's murder after an apparent home invader shot and killed her, pictured last week
Police were called to the Avants´ home on December 1 after a 2:23am call reporting a shooting. Officers found Jacqueline with a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
An hour later, Los Angeles Police Department officers were called to a home in the Hollywood Hills - about 7 miles from the Avant residence - for a reported shooting.
They found Maynor there, as well as evidence of a burglary at that home, and took him into custody.
Maynor accidentally shot himself in the foot while breaking into the Hollywood Hills home. An LAPD watch commander 'put two and two together' and reached out to Beverly Hills investigators.
Beverly Hills police were called to the home around 2:30 am Wednesday after a 911 caller said someone had been shot and killed. Officers arriving at the scene discovered one victim, Avant's wife of 54 years, Jacqueline, suffering from a gunshot wound. She succumbed to her wounds later that day
Police confirmed that Maynor (pictured in what appears to be prison) has an extensive criminal record dating back nearly a decade, including convictions for assault, robbery and grand theft
Maynor (pictured) was on parole at the time of the alleged homicide for a domestic violence case
Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark G. Stainbrook, left, addressed the media last week as Mayor Robert Wunderlich looks on during a news conference in Beverly Hills, California
Chief Stainbrook said: 'The motives in this case are still unknown, and we are investigating all possible motives. We will not speculate on anything that's out there, including if this was a robbery attempt or not'
Jacqueline Avant was a longtime local philanthropist who led organizations that helped low-income neighborhoods including Watts and South Los Angeles, and was on the board of directors of the International Student Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Grammy-winning executive Clarence Avant is known as the 'Godfather of Black Music' and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.
The 90-year-old was also a concert promoter and manager who mentored and helped the careers of artists including Bill Withers, Little Willie John, L.A. Reid, Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Jacqueline (left) was rushed to a hospital after the attack, but succumbed to her injuries shortly after. She leaves behind a 53-year-old daughter, Nicole (second from left), and a son (not pictured). Nicole, a former United States Ambassador to the Bahamas, is currently married to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos (third from left)
Jacqueline, Clarence and Gail Mitchell at the Jazz Foundation honors in LA in 2019
The Avants´ daughter, Nicole Avant, is a film producer and former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas and is married to Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.
Tributes to Jacqueline Avant poured in from across the country. She was remembered by former President Bill Clinton, basketball icon Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California and music star Quincy Jones.
'The heaviness of my heart today is unlike any other that I have ever experienced in my life,' Jones said on Instagram. 'She was the purest of souls in every sense, & was the Rock of Gibraltar for Clarence, their children, her friends, & community. We are all, every single one of us, better people because Jacquie was in our lives.'
Actor and director Tyler Perry tweeted that his 'heart breaks for Clarence and Nicole and all the Avant family.'
Clarence was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016, with his wife by his side
The Motown fixture's life and legacy were recently chronicled by Sarandos' streaming service in 2019, in a documentary titled The Black Godfather
The scene of the crime at Clarence Avant's $7 million home was taped off by Beverly Hills police Wednesday morning. An investigation is currently ongoing
Security guards patrol behind police tape set up at the intersection of Maytor Place and Barrie Drive in the Trousdale Estates section of Beverly Hills where Jacqueline Avant, the wife of music legend Clarence Avant, was fatally shot in the neighborhood
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