Man Arrested In Connection To Shooting Death Of Jacqueline Avant

The man who cops believe killed Jacqueline Avant is now in police custody … and it’s all because he was dumb enough to shoot himself in the foot.

According to cops, Aariel Maynor traveled from Beverly Hills to the Hollywood Hills after his attack on the Avant home. He attempted to break into another home, and in the process somehow shot himself in the foot with an AR-15.

Police found the 29-year-old in a backyard roughly an hour after shooting the 81-year-old. Video shows him handcuffed to a wheelchair after being taken into custody.

Cops say neighborhood surveillance helped them connect him from the crime in Hollywood to the murder at the Avant home. At a press conference Thursday, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said it was still too early to decide whether or not the attack on the Avant home was random or if Maynor knew the family.

What they do know is that Maynor has an extensive criminal record dating back to 2013 and has done time for robbery and grand theft. He was released on parole supervision on Sept. 1, 2021 after serving 4 years for second-degree robbery. He also got probation for a domestic violence case.

After the arrest was announced, the Avant and Sarandos families released a statement thanking police. (Clarence and Jackie Avant’s daughter, Nicole, is married to Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix.)

“Our deepest gratitude to The City of Beverly Hills, the BHPD and all law enforcement for their diligence on this matter,” the statement read. “Now, let justice be served.”

Avant, known affectionately as “Jackie,” was well-known and well-respected for her philanthropy over the years.

Her husband, Clarence Avant, was recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was also the subject of a 2019 Netflix documentary “The Black Godfather”.