Social Media Influencer and Family Charged in Murder Plot
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Gabriela Gonzalez, her father, Francisco Gonzalez, and her former boyfriend, Faron Cordrey, with a plot to kill Jack Avery. Avery, a former boy band singer, is the father of Gabriela Gonzalez’s 7-year-old daughter. The charges include attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder, stemming from a 2020 custody dispute.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman explained that the FBI initially investigated the allegations before transferring the case to L.A. County prosecutors. According to court documents accessed by CBS News, several witnesses reported that Gabriela Gonzalez expressed a desire for Avery’s death and spoke about hiring a hitman to carry out the act.
The alleged murder scheme involved making Avery’s death appear as a shooting or an accident. Prosecutors note that Gabriela Gonzalez allegedly tasked Cordrey with seeking a hitman on the dark web between 2020 and 2021 to kill Avery, a former member of the boy band ‘Why Don’t We.’ During this time, investigators claim Francisco Gonzalez initially provided Cordrey with $10,000 to find and pay the supposed assassin, who was actually an undercover FBI agent.
“Most fathers raise their children to respect the law, but here we have a dad who allegedly helped his daughter and her boyfriend break the law in the most sinister way imaginable,” Hochman commented.
Further into the investigation, the district attorney’s office stated that Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent an additional $4,000 after the undercover hitman requested more funds. This interaction occurred in September 2021 and involved discussions about payment details, proof of death, and the identification of Avery as the target.
During a podcast interview last year, Jack Avery recounted his experience with law enforcement, saying, “Someone hired someone to kill me,” as the FBI warned him at his doorstep. If found guilty of the charges, each defendant could face a sentence ranging from 25 years to life in state prison.