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Man sentenced to 190 years for murder of L.A. philanthropist Jacqueline Avant

Aariel Maynor will be ineligible for early parole in the case, which the Los Angeles County district attorney said "rocked our community."
Image: Clarence Avant, Jacqueline Avant
Clarence Avant and Jacqueline Avant at the Wallis Center for Performing Arts’ “Mancini Delivered” event honoring Henry Mancini in Beverly Hills, Calif., on April 1, 2017. Alex J. Berliner / ABImages via AP file

A California man was sentenced to 190 years in prison Tuesday for the murder of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, the wife of a celebrated Los Angeles music executive.

Aariel Maynor, 30, was also sentenced for trying to kill Avant's security guard during a robbery Dec. 1 at the Beverly Hills home Avant shared with her husband, Clarence Avant, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.

Maynor, who pleaded guilty last month to one count of first-degree murder, attempted murder and two counts of burglary, will not be eligible for early parole, District Attorney George Gascón said.

“Today marks the end of a tragic case that rocked our community," Gascón said. "Because of a completely senseless act, Los Angeles lost Jacqueline Avant, a community leader and philanthropist."

He added that her "murder sent shockwaves through our community, prompting fear, concern and a tremendous sense of loss."

In a statement, Avant's family thanked law enforcement agencies and local officials for their "unwavering dedication to public service and for the swift justice of our beloved Jacqueline Avant.”

Maynor, who was recorded in security video at the couple's home, was taken into custody Dec. 2. Authorities did not disclose a motive; they said Maynor had an "extensive" criminal history and was on parole at the time of the killing.

Jacqueline Avant, 81, was a onetime model, a mother, a philanthropist and the wife of Clarence Avant, known as the "Godfather of Black music."