ORLANDO, Fla. — Prosecutors in California are detailing an alleged dark-web murder-for-hire plot targeting singer Jack Avery, a former member of the group Why Don’t We.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Gabriela Lauren Gonzalez, her father, Francisco Javier Gonzalez, and Kai Faron Cordrey are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.
Prosecutors said the case is tied to a custody dispute involving Avery and Gabriela Gonzalez’s daughter.
Francisco Gonzalez is a Central Florida lawyer based in Heathrow. He was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to California.
Previous coverage: Florida lawyer accused in murder-for-hire plot targeting Jack Avery
Gabriela Gonzalez, known online as Gabbie, has a large social media following. Booking information shows she was arrested May 18 by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and booked in Norwalk.
Prosecutors said all three defendants face 25 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged.
Prosecutors say plot grew from custody dispute
Court records show the alleged conspiracy happened between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2022, in Los Angeles County.
According to a California felony complaint, Gabriela Gonzalez and Francisco Gonzalez were involved in family-court proceedings and related communications in which Avery was repeatedly portrayed as unfit, dangerous or harmful to the child.
The complaint alleges Gabriela Gonzalez and Francisco Gonzalez used allegations about Avery’s treatment of the child and frustration with the family-court process to encourage or justify efforts to remove Avery from the child’s life.
Prosecutors allege dark-web hitman search
Prosecutors said Gabriela Gonzalez was accused of seeking help from Cordrey, her then-boyfriend, to hire someone on the dark web to kill Avery between 2020 and 2021.
According to the complaint, Gabriela Gonzalez repeatedly discussed wanting Avery dead and discussed hiring a hitman to kill him.
Investigators said Gabriela Gonzalez and Cordrey discussed using the dark web and Bitcoin to hire someone to kill Avery in Los Angeles and make the killing appear to be an accident.
The complaint alleges Gabriela Gonzalez supplied Cordrey with identifying information about Avery for use in the murder-for-hire plot.
Complaint details alleged payments and code word
Court records show Francisco Gonzalez sent about $10,000 to Cordrey in April 2021 as front money to locate, hire and pay someone to kill Avery.
The complaint also alleges Cordrey later transferred money into a Gemini cryptocurrency account and used the alias “LizardKing69” to sign up for or use a dark-web murder-for-hire account connected to Avery.
Prosecutors said Cordrey requested and received an additional $4,000 from Francisco Gonzalez in June 2021 after the alleged hitman asked for more money.
According to the complaint, Cordrey later told the dark-web murder-for-hire site that he had uploaded “4K more” for the killing to be completed.
Court records show Cordrey requested that Avery be killed within two days and said the killing did not need to be done in any special way.
In September 2021, prosecutors said an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman spoke with Cordrey by phone about the planned murder.
During the call, Cordrey allegedly confirmed Avery was the target and discussed payment and proof of death with the undercover agent.
In October 2021, the complaint said Cordrey told the undercover agent that Avery’s “ex-girlfriend,” meaning Gabriela Gonzalez, wanted the job done, and that “the father,” meaning Francisco Gonzalez, still wanted it done and could pay.
The complaint said Cordrey provided the code word “Bullrun” to Francisco Gonzalez so he could identify himself to the undercover FBI agent.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called it a lengthy investigation that began with the FBI and was later turned over to his office.
“This is a case where the defendants are accused of going to great lengths to find someone to commit murder,” Hochman said in a statement. “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.”
Jack Avery seeks restraining order, custody change
Avery filed a request for a domestic violence restraining order in Los Angeles after the arrests.
In that filing, Avery said he was notified by the FBI in 2021 that a hitman had been hired to kill him. He said he was later informed that the case had been turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Avery is also seeking sole legal and physical custody of the child he shares with Gabriela Gonzalez.
The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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