The man who pleaded guilty to murdering black philanthropist Jacqueline Avant last year laughed in a jailhouse call laughed about shooting her in the back and bragged that he would leave prison early because Los Angeles prosecutors did not ask for sentence enhancements.
The Los Angeles Times reported Monday on the call by Aariel Maynor, which is the latest revelation about the contempt that criminals have for the justice system under L.A. District Attorney George Gascón.
The Times noted:
The man who pleaded guilty to the murder of Jacqueline Avant in her Beverly Hills home last year shot her in the back and later laughed and bragged about the killing, according to court records reviewed by The Times.
Aariel Maynor allegedly bragged to a friend in a phone call from jail that he would serve only 20 to 25 years because Los Angeles County prosecutors did not file special circumstances murder that could have meant life without parole or the death penalty, a sentencing document filed by prosecutors shows.
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Maynor pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of burglary. The shooting took place early on the morning of Dec. 1
Gascón has tried to defend his approach by noting he has asked for an effective life sentence for Maynor. But last year, he tried to blame the “system” for Avant’s death — a comment that he reiterated on Monday in an interview with the Times.
Gascón defeated incumbent D.A. Jackie Lacey, the first black woman to hold the job, in 2020 after receiving millions of dollars in support from left-wing billionaire George Soros. Upon taking office, he tried to end most sentence enhancements.
Avant’s murder shocked a Hollywood establishment that had largely supported the Black Lives Matter movement and Gascón. She was the wife of music pioneer Clarence Avant, and was beloved for her charitable work within the black community.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.