EXCLUSIVE — Hours after philanthropist Jacqueline Avant was shot to death during a Beverly Hills home invasion robbery, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon distributed a fundraising letter seeking to overturn a law that would keep her killer in prison.
Avant, 81, was the mother-in-law of Netflix’s CEO, and her Dec. 1 murder shocked the entertainment world and beyond. Oprah Winfrey, Magic Johnson, and President Bill Clinton tweeted about their devastation over her death.
Gascon surfaced on that day as well, but rather than decry this violence or the smash-and-grab robberies that have blighted California in recent weeks, he sent a fundraising email asking for money to push through a bill removing extra prison time for using a gun during a crime.
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“After a year of record homicides, smash-and-grab robberies and the day of the callous murder of an 81-year-old woman in her own home, George Gascon sent a letter to his supporters asking for money to further his efforts to eliminate our ability to prosecute crime and protect the public,” said prosecutor Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys. “Reckless, feckless, crass are some of the more charitable words that come to mind.”
For decades, California voters have overwhelmingly approved the use of “enhancements,” which tack on additional time to prison sentences for violent offenses. Gascon has repeatedly said he wants to do away with enhancements for using a gun, belonging to a gang, and causing great bodily injury.
“We’ve got to reform outdated sentence enhancement policies,” the subject line of Gascon’s email said.
“More than 80 percent of people serving time in California state prisons have had sentence enhancements applied to their time served … sentence enhancements have never been shown to reduce the rate of crime, and excessive sentence enhancements can actually drive up reoffense. And these enhancements have disproportionately impacted sentencing for people of color.”
Gascon then asked for funds to reach a $75,000 goal to get a bill across the finish line.
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On Monday, parolee Aariel Maynor was charged with Avant’s murder, but Gascon did not tack on the gun enhancement that would result in an additional 25 years added to his sentence. Instead, he filed a minor gun allegation that carries substantially less prison time.
The maximum sentence for murder in California is 25 years to life. However, on May 1, the state increased the amount of “good time” credits for violent crime inmates, who now have a chance to be paroled after serving only 66% of their sentences. This means 16 years for first-degree murder.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Gascon’s claims that people of color are targeted with enhancements are false along with stating that enhancements don’t work.
“It’s tone-deaf. I don’t think you can begin to explain this one,” Villanueva said regarding the timing of Gascon’s solicitation. “That is amazing but not surprising at the same time. He is trying to nullify the legislative intent, and he is undermining the entire system and not reforming it.”
Violent suspects need to be held accountable for their crimes, something Gascon doesn’t want to do, he added.
“It’s not an accident that they were arrested for serious and violent felonies,” Villanueva said.
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Gascon could not be reached for comment.
