TikTok Star, Two Others Charged in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting Why Don’t We Singer

TikTok influencer Gabbie Gonzalez, known for her travel, lifestyle, and motherhood content, was arrested in Northern California last week for allegedly attempting to hire a hitman on the dark web. According to reports, the targeted victim was the hit was singer Jack Avery, a former member of the now-defunct boy band Why Don’t We and the father of Gonzalez’s child.

Gabriela Lauren Gonzalez, 24, was booked into the Humboldt County jail in Eureka on May 15th, according to county jail records obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle . Los Angeles County custody records reveal she is being held without bond as a fugitive on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

On Tuesday, prosecutors charged her, her father Francisco Gonzalez, and Hawaii surf instructor Kai Cordrey with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and solicitation to commit murder.

Per an affidavit, the alleged plot stemmed from a lengthy custody and visitation dispute over Gabbie Gonzalez and Avery’s shared child. Investigators say that Gabbie’s father, a lawyer based in Miami, became “deeply involved” in the custody battle, attempting to “discredit, monitor, and remove Avery” from their family. According to reports, witnesses also say that Fransisco Gonzalez insinuated “that it would be cheaper if Avery were dead.”

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Around March 2021, Francisco Gonzalez reportedly reached out to Cordrey, the surf instructor, in an effort to find a party to threaten Avery, as both Cordrey and Avery live in Hawaii. Around the same time, Gabbie Gonzalez allegedly depicted Avery as an “unfit” and “dangerous” parent to their daughter, who was born in 2019, during custody proceedings, and alluded to hiring a hit man.

Per investigators, Gabbie Gonzalez and Cordrey began discussing using the dark web and Bitcoin to coordinate a murder staged to look like Avery had died in a Los Angeles car crash. According to the affidavit, financial records show that in April 2021, Francisco Gonzalez sent Cordrey $10,000 through Square. The transfer of funds was allegedly disguised as payment for web development services, which Cordrey denied doing.

Later, federal agents brought in an undercover agent to pose as a hit man, who spoke with Francisco Gonzalez over the phone; he allegedly discussed Bitcoin payments and used coded language.

In an interview with the Zach Sang Show, posted last September, Jack Avery discussed the situation without naming the perpetrators, as he couldn’t go into detail about the case.

“Two agents show up, and at the time I was in the kitchen,” Avery explained. “My mom was making dinner. I had my shirt off, playing guitar and singing to her. My little sister had her friend over, so I thought it was her parents walking up. I just opened the door with my shirt off like, ‘Hey guys, what’s up?’ And they’re like, ‘Are you Jack Avery?’ And for a second I was like, ‘Oh.’ Because they said, ‘Yeah, we’re the FBA.’ That’s what I thought I heard. I thought I heard them say FBA. And I was like, ‘Oh, it’s some homeowners thing. I don’t know.’ So I said, ‘Yeah, I’m Jack.'”

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“As I start talking, my mom comes around and she’s like, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Is everything fine?'” Avery continued. “Then they drop their badges and say, ‘We’re the FBI. We would like to talk to Jack if we can.’ My mom’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Is everything fine?’ And they’re like, ‘No, no, Jack hasn’t done anything wrong. We think he’s a victim of something.’ And keep in mind, my anxiety was just starting to feel a little better. So as this happens, I’m like, ‘Bro, not something else.’ And yeah, we end up talking, and someone hired someone to kill me.”

Gabbie Gonzalez is expected to be arraigned this week.

Why Don’t We were active from 2016 to 2022 before a contentious legal dispute with their former management company brought the group to a halt. After cancelling a tour and entering a hiatus, they officially lost the rights to the Why Don’t We name in February 2025.

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_Originally reported by [Consequence](https://consequence.net/2026/05/why-dont-we-jack-avery-dark-web-murder-for-hire/)._