Trending Now - Tiktok Influencer and Father Charged in Murder-for-hire Scheme
WHO:
CBS News - TikTok star Gabriela “Gabbie” Gonzalez, 24, her father Francisco Gonzalez, 59, and her former boyfriend Kai Faron Cordrey, 26, were charged.
SFGATE - Jack Avery, formerly of the boy band Why Don’t We, is the target of the alleged murder-for-hire plot.
WHAT:
SFGATE - Prosecutors allege Francisco Gonzalez transferred roughly $10,000 to Cordrey as upfront money for the alleged murder-for-hire scheme, followed by a $4,000 payment routed through Cordrey’s business, Site Whisperer.
SFGATE - In June 2021, Cordrey allegedly requested that Avery be killed “within two days” and stated that the killing did not need to be carried out “in any special way.”
CBS News - Gonzalez and her father were charged for allegedly plotting to kill Jack Avery by paying in bitcoin and using the dark web and coded messages.
SFGATE - The defendants were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder.
SFGATE - Prosecutors described the plot as a yearslong scheme involving cryptocurrency payments and dark web communications.
SFGATE - An extradition complaint recommended $2 million bail for each defendant.
WHERE:
SFGATE - Gonzalez was arrested at the Arcata-Eureka airport in Humboldt County, California.
SFGATE - The case was filed in Los Angeles County.
WHEN:
SFGATE - Gonzalez was initially held in Humboldt County from May 15 to May 16 before being transferred to Los Angeles County custody.
SFGATE - Cordrey texted his mother in April 2021 regarding a “15k$+ bounty.”
SFGATE - In June 2021, Cordrey allegedly confirmed to a dark-web administrator that he had uploaded “4K more” for the killing.
WHY:
SFGATE - The alleged plot was motivated by a custody battle centered on Gonzalez and Avery’s daughter, with Avery portrayed as “unfit, dangerous, or harmful.”
SFGATE - Gonzalez and her father allegedly used frustrations over the family court process to justify efforts to remove Avery from the child’s life.
HOW:
SFGATE - Cordrey allegedly discussed “payment and proof of death” with an undercover FBI agent during a September 2021 phone call.
SFGATE - The defendants allegedly discussed making the killing “appear to be an accident.”
SFGATE - Gonzalez and Cordrey discussed using bitcoin and the dark web to arrange the killing.
SFGATE - Cordrey used the alias “LizardKing69” while creating or accessing a dark-web murder-for-hire account tied to Avery.
SFGATE - An undercover FBI agent posed as a hit man during the investigation, and Cordrey discussed “payment and proof of death” with the agent.
(UPDATED May 22, 2026 08:07 UTC)
Prosecutors allege that Francisco Gonzalez transferred approximately $10,000 to Cordrey as upfront money for an alleged murder-for-hire scheme, followed by an additional $4,000 routed through Cordrey’s business, Site Whisperer. In June 2021, Cordrey reportedly requested that Avery be killed “within two days” and indicated that the killing did not need to be executed “in any special way.” Furthermore, during a phone call with an undercover FBI agent in September 2021, Cordrey allegedly discussed “payment and proof of death.”
--
(UPDATED May 21, 2026 21:33 UTC)
TikTok star Gabriela “Gabbie” Gonzalez, her father Francisco Gonzalez, and her former boyfriend Kai Faron Cordrey have been charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder in an alleged plot to kill Jack Avery, formerly of the boy band Why Don’t We. Prosecutors claim the scheme involved using bitcoin and the dark web, with discussions about making the killing appear accidental, while an undercover FBI agent posed as a hitman during the investigation. The defendants were arrested at the Arcata-Eureka airport in California and are facing a recommended bail of $2 million each.