Prosecutors say the case grew from a custody dispute over a 7-year-old child.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A social media influencer, her father and her former boyfriend have been charged in Los Angeles County with trying to hire a hitman to kill singer Jack Avery, the father of her child, prosecutors said.
Gabriela Lauren Gonzalez, 24, known online as Gabbie Gonzalez, faces one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder. Her father, Francisco Javier Gonzalez, 59, and Kai Faron Cordrey, 26, face the same charges. Prosecutors said the alleged plot was tied to a bitter custody dispute involving Gonzalez and Avery’s 7-year-old daughter.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said the charges were filed May 19 in case 26CJCF03024 after an investigation that began with the FBI and was later turned over to county prosecutors. District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said the defendants are accused of going “to great lengths to find someone to commit murder.” He said the case was unusual because a father is accused of helping his daughter and her boyfriend “break the law in the most sinister way imaginable.”
Prosecutors said the alleged plan stretched from 2020 into 2021. During that time, Gabriela Gonzalez is accused of seeking Cordrey’s help to find someone on the dark web to kill Avery. Avery is a former member of the pop group Why Don’t We and shares a daughter with Gonzalez. The case centers on what prosecutors describe as an effort to turn a custody fight into a murder-for-hire plan. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
In April 2021, Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent $10,000 to Cordrey as front money to locate, hire and pay someone to kill Avery. Prosecutors said Cordrey asked for and received another $4,000 two months later after the alleged hitman requested more money. Several days after that, Cordrey allegedly asked that Avery be killed within a couple of days. Authorities said the discussions included payment, proof of death and the identity of the target.
By September 2021, prosecutors said an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman spoke with Cordrey about the alleged plot. Cordrey is accused of telling the undercover officer that Avery was the target. In a later conversation, prosecutors said, Cordrey allegedly told the person he thought was a hitman that Gabriela Gonzalez wanted the killing to happen and that Francisco Gonzalez could pay for the cost. Other reporting on court records said investigators also reviewed financial transactions, online messages and statements about staging Avery’s death.
Gonzalez has built a large social media following with lifestyle and motherhood content. The criminal case places that public image beside a private custody dispute that prosecutors say had become dangerous. Avery has said publicly that law enforcement warned him about a threat and that he is focused on caring for his daughter. The child’s name has appeared in public reporting, but the criminal case described by prosecutors centers on the adults accused of arranging violence, not on the child.
Gabriela Gonzalez was arrested in California and was scheduled for arraignment at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. Francisco Gonzalez was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to California, prosecutors said. Cordrey, who also has been described in public records as Gonzalez’s then-boyfriend, was arrested separately. If convicted as charged, each defendant faces 25 years to life in state prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott of the Major Crimes Division. Prosecutors said the investigation remains active through the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation. The next steps include court appearances, extradition proceedings for Francisco Gonzalez and further review of evidence gathered during the multiyear investigation. Prosecutors have not said publicly whether more charges are expected.
Avery thanked prosecutors and law enforcement after the arrests and said his focus remains on being a father. The case has drawn attention because it links social media fame, a former boy-band singer and allegations of a dark-web killing plot. Officials have not said that Avery was physically harmed. The alleged plan, as described by prosecutors, was stopped before a killing took place.
The defendants remained in the court process as of May 23, with the Los Angeles County case moving forward and Francisco Gonzalez still facing transfer from Florida. The next major milestone is expected to be the defendants’ arraignments and related custody or extradition hearings.
Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.