Asocial media influencer, her father and her former boyfriend have been charged in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting singerJack Avery, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, following a formal charging announcement issued on 19 May 2026, after an FBI-led investigation into allegations dating back to 2020.
Authorities said the case stems from a lengthy FBI investigation before being turned over to prosecutors, involving allegations thatGabriela Lauren Gonzalez, Kai Faron Cordrey and Francisco Gonzalez attempted to arrange Avery's killing during an ongoing custody dispute involving Gonzalez and the singer over their child.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation initially led a lengthy investigation into the allegations before the case was later turned over for prosecution. Officials have not publicly disclosed when the inquiry began, though reporting indicates it developed from allegations that surfaced in 2020.
Investigators allege that between 2020 and 2021, Gonzalez and Cordrey discussed hiring a hitman via the dark web to target Avery, a former member of the boy band Why Don't We.
Avery and Gonzalez were involved in an ongoing custody dispute over their daughter at the time of the alleged events, with reporting indicating the conflict began following their split around 2020 and continued throughout the period covered by the alleged conspiracy, according to court documents and media summaries of the case.
Investigators allege that in April 2021, Francisco Gonzalez wired $10,000 to Cordrey as initial funding to locate and hire someone to carry out the killing. Two months later, Cordrey allegedly requested an additional $4,000 after an alleged hitman reportedly demanded further payment, according to prosecutors and charging documents referenced in reporting on the case.
By September 2021, Cordrey is accused of communicating with an individual later identified by investigators as an undercover federal agent posing as a hitman, according to prosecutors and charging documents summarised by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
In later communications, prosecutors allege Cordrey indicated that Gabriela Gonzalez wanted the plan to proceed and that Francisco Gonzalez could finance the operation.
Gonzalez was arrested on 18 May 2026, by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office in Northern California before being transferred into Los Angeles County custody, according to custody records and reporting cited by USA Today and TMZ.
Francisco Gonzalez was also taken into custody, though authorities have not confirmed his extradition from Florida to Los Angeles County. Cordrey's custody status has not been publicly confirmed.
Source: International Business Times UK
