Influencer charged in murder-for-hire plot against pop singer

3 min readUpdated May 22, 2026

Charges filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office this week accuse social media influencer Gabriela Gonzalez of orchestrating a dark-web murder-for-hire scheme targeting Jack Avery, her former partner and a one-time member of the boy band Why Don't We, with whom she shares a 7-year-old daughter. Prosecutors brought identical charges against two co-defendants: her father, Francisco Gonzalez, 59, and Kai Cordrey, 26, a former boyfriend — one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder.

The alleged plot stemmed from a custody dispute between Gabriela Gonzalez, 24, and Avery, according to CBS News. According to prosecutors, multiple witnesses reported hearing Gonzalez openly express a desire to see Avery killed; the plan allegedly included making his death appear to be either a shooting or a car accident.

Unknown to the conspirators, the hitman on the other end of those dark-web exchanges was actually an FBI agent working undercover. That September, prosecutors say, Cordrey held a direct conversation with the undercover agent in which he named Avery as the intended victim and laid out terms including compensation and confirmation of the killing. In a follow-up exchange, Cordrey allegedly made clear to the agent that the murder was Gabriela Gonzalez's wish and that her father stood ready to finance it.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that the FBI launched the inquiry and carried it for some time before transferring it to county prosecutors. "This is a case where the defendants are accused of going to great lengths to find someone to commit murder," Hochman said, according to CBS News.

After a judge set her bail at $2 million, Gonzalez paid the bond and walked out of court under release conditions that include wearing a GPS monitor, according to ABC News. The court additionally prohibited her from making any social media posts related to the proceedings. Authorities took Francisco Gonzalez into custody in Florida, where he remains as officials work to transfer him to Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies arrested Cordrey and booked him into county jail.

A conviction on the charges as filed would carry a sentence of 25 years to life for each of the three defendants, according to ABC News.

Avery, who had previously described in a podcast interview the moment FBI agents arrived at his home to tell him a contract had been taken out on his life, took to Instagram to address the charges publicly. In the post, he wrote: "I'm thankful to have sole custody of my daughter, Lavender, who is safe, healthy, and deeply loved," the Los Angeles Times reported.

Social media influencer, father, and ex-boyfriend charged in murder-for-hire plot targeting pop singer

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