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A TikTok influencer, her attorney father, and her current partner now face federal charges for allegedly hiring a dark web hitman to kill a former boy band singer.
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The alleged conspiracy grew out of a custody battle over the influencer’s seven-year-old daughter with the intended target.
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The FBI traced cryptocurrency transfers and cracked encrypted dark web communications to bring down the alleged plot.
A custody dispute that began in family court ended in a federal indictment, after prosecutors alleged that a TikTok influencer and her father hired a dark web hitman to permanently resolve a bitter fight over their daughter.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney unsealed charges against 24-year-old Gabriela Lauren Gonzalez, her 59-year-old father Francisco Gonzalez (a Florida-based attorney), and Gabriela’s current partner, 26-year-old Kai Faron Cordrey.
The intended target was Jack Avery, 26, a former member of the boy band Why Don’t We, and the father of Gabriela’s seven-year-old daughter, Lavender.
A Custody Battle That Turned Deadly
Gabriela and Avery dated before separating after the birth of their daughter in 2019. What followed was a prolonged and hostile custody dispute that stretched across 2020 and 2021. Court filings show that Gabriela and her father consistently portrayed Avery as an unfit and dangerous parent throughout the proceedings.
When the family court system declined to terminate Avery’s parental rights, prosecutors allege the Gonzalez family stopped pursuing a legal solution and began planning a permanent one.
Witness testimony cited in arrest affidavits painted a disturbing picture of what followed. The family’s associates said that Gabriela publicly talked about the death of Avery. Separately, witnesses pointed back to Francisco Gonzalez, stating that it would cost less to have the singer killed than to keep fighting him in court.
How the Dark Web Plot Unfolded
Gabriela allegedly brought Cordrey into the plan, and he took on the operational role. Operating under the alias “LizardKing69,” Cordrey reportedly used Tor browsers and encrypted networks to access dark web marketplaces that advertise contracted violence.
Dark web hitman services are not always what they seem. A global police operation in Romania recently targeted a murder-for-hire scam, seizing $600,000 in cryptocurrency — showing that many such schemes are frauds preying on would-be criminals.
The financing, according to prosecutors, came directly from Francisco Gonzalez. In April 2021, Francisco allegedly wired $10,000 to Cordrey as a down payment to secure a hitman. Two months later, he sent an additional $4,000 after the alleged assassin demanded more money to proceed.
The conspiracy extended beyond the financial transactions. The group reportedly hired private investigators to surveil Avery in Kauai, building intelligence on his daily movements and routines. Prosecutors say the final plan required the murder to take place in Los Angeles and be staged to look like a car accident.
Recovered text messages added further weight to the case. In one exchange from March 2021, Francisco Gonzalez instructed Cordrey to contact a specific individual, framing it as an escalation of pressure against Avery. Investigators noted that the family had initially explored recruiting a retired mixed martial arts fighter to threaten the singer before the plan shifted into a full murder solicitation.
The FBI Unravels the Network
The FBI led a multi-jurisdictional investigation that eventually dismantled the operation. Digital forensics teams spent months working through the anonymity layers of the dark web, tracking cryptocurrency payments and unlocking encrypted communications between Cordrey and the individuals he contacted as potential hitmen.
The volume of digital evidence recovered, including financial wire transfers, private group chat messages, and encrypted network activity, gave prosecutors a detailed account of how the conspiracy developed and who drove each stage of it.
District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced the charges with a direct statement on the gravity of the case. According to Hochman, the situation represented a profound tragedy, describing a grandfather who allegedly financed the murder of his own granddaughter’s father.
Gabriela Gonzalez is currently held without bail in Los Angeles. Francisco Gonzalez awaits extradition from Seminole County, Florida, while Cordrey remains in federal custody. All three face multiple felony charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and solicitation of murder.
The case underscores how dark web infrastructure continues to lower the barrier between violent intent and violent action, putting contract killing within reach of anyone with money, a browser, and a reason to look.
