Francisco Gonzalez and influencer Gabbie Gonzalez are accused of conspiring to enact a “murder-for-hire effort” targeting Jack Avery of Why Don’t We.

TikTok star and her father arrested in alleged murder plot targeting her boy-band singer ex

Francisco Gonzalez and influencer Gabbie Gonzalez are accused of conspiring to enact a "murder-for-hire effort" targeting Jack Avery of Why Don't We.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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May 19, 2026 6:30 p.m. ET

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Gabbie Gonzalez; Jack Avery in 2022. Credit:

Gabbie Gonzalez/Instagram; Frazer Harrison/Getty

- Influencer Gabbie Gonzalez was arrested in California on Monday.

- Her father, Francisco Gonzalez, was arrested the same day in Florida.

- A warrant claimed that the father-daughter duo conspired in a "murder-for-hire effort" targeting Gabbie's ex, Why Don't We singer Jack Avery.

Gabbie Gonzalez and her father have been arrested over an alleged plot to murder her ex, Why Don't We singer Jack Avery.

The influencer, who has nearly 900,000 followers across her Instagram and TikTok accounts, was arrested by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, according to jail records reviewed by **. She is being held without bail at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department station in Norwalk, Calif.

Gonzalez's father, Francisco Gonzalez, was arrested the same day in Seminole County, Fla., on an out-of-state fugitive warrant, according to jail records reviewed by EW.

A warrant from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, which has been reviewed by EW, accuses Gabbie, Francisco, and the influencer's then-boyfriend Kai Cordrey of one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder. If convicted, each defendant could face 25 years to life in state prison.

"This was a lengthy investigation that was initiated by the FBI and eventually turned over to our office, resulting in criminal charges being filed today," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a press release. "This is a case where the defendants are accused of going to great lengths to find someone to commit murder. 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."

Gabbie Gonzalez's mugshot.

Humboldt County Sheriff's Office

A separate warrant for Francisco's arrest, which has also been reviewed by EW, indicates that there is probable cause that the influencer and her father "knowingly entered into an agreement" to arrange a "murder-for-hire effort" targeting her Avery, the father of Gabbie's daughter Lavender.

Representatives for Gabbie Gonzalez, Francisco Gonzalez, Avery, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to **'s request for comment.

In the document, Saido Garcia, a detective for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, claimed that the alleged conflict between the Gonzalezes and Avery arose from the custody battle over Lavender, alleging that Francisco became "heavily invested in the custody dispute and hostile toward Avery."

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Garcia went on to allege that a witness accused Francisco of paying a man around $10,000 to kill Avery, while another claimed that the TikTok star "repeatedly said she wanted Jack Avery dead and discussed hiring a hitman" to coordinate a slaying that would be "made to look like a car accident."

The detective also alleged that Francisco spoke on the phone with "an undercover agent posing as the killer" as they discussed details of the hit that suggested "Francisco's direct operational awareness of, and participation in, the murder-for-hire scheme."

Francisco Gonzalez's mugshot.

Seminole County Jail

He also claimed that before the alleged murder plot, Francisco hired a private investigator in Hawaii to trail Avery to obtain information about "whether he was drinking, smoking, alone, receiving assistance, or otherwise acting in a way that could be used against him in the custody dispute."

Garcia alleged that Francisco is "linked by witness statements, bank records, cover payments, coded communications, private-investigator activity, and direct undercover contact to an agreement and plan to kill Jack Avery."

Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais, Daniel Seavey, Zach Herron and Jack Avery of Why Don't We in 2019.

Noam Galai/Getty

It is not immediately clear whether Francisco or Gabbie have entered a plea.

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Avery said that he received a visit from FBI agents during a 2025 interview with the *Zach Sang Show*. "Someone hired someone to kill me," he shared. "I can't speak on a lot, but that s--- traumatized me, and it turned me into — I stayed in my house for like a month straight. I didn't leave."

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