Florida lawyer accused in murder-for-hire plot targeting former boy band member has license suspended
Por Owen Scott — – World RSS Feed
Florida lawyer accused in murder-for-hire plot targeting former boy band member has license suspended
All three suspects have denied the charges against them, which include attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder
Owen Scott Thursday 08 October 2026 12:06 EDT
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A Florida lawyer accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot targeting a former boyband member has had his license suspended, according to a report.
Francisco Javier Gonzalez was charged in May after allegedly plotting the killing alongside his influencer daughter Gabriela and her boyfriend.
The target of the alleged scheme was Jack Avery, who was in the band Why Don’t We and shares a daughter with Gabriela, California state prosecutors say.
Gonzalez, 59, has now been barred from practising law, after a Florida Supreme Court ruling on September 28 that his license is suspended as long as he faces charges, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
At the time Gonzalez was charged, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman described the alleged plot as “sinister”.
open image in gallery“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,” he said.
According to court records, Gabriela and Gonzalez alleged in family court proceedings that Avery was “unfit, dangerous, or harmful” to the couple’s daughter – accusations he has publicly denied.
Prosecutors say that Gabriela eventually sought the help of her then-boyfriend, Kai Faron Cordrey, in plotting to kill the former boy band member between 2020 and 2021.
In April 2021, Gonzalez allegedly sent $10,000 to his daughter’s boyfriend, with which he could find and hire someone to kill Avery.
In June that year, Cordrey asked his girlfriend’s father for an additional $4,000, telling him that a hitman had asked for more money, prosecutors say. The boyfriend instructed the hitman to kill Avery in the following days.
open image in galleryAn undercover officer disguised as a hitman spoke with Cordrey about the plot on September 21, with the boyfriend allegedly detailing the method of payment and proof of death.
Cordrey told the officer Gabriela had requested the murder and her father would pay for the crime to be carried out, prosecutors say.
Gonzalez was eventually arrested in Florida before being extradited to California.
“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,” Hochman said when Gonzalez, Gabriela and Cordrey were charged.
Each of the three is charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and the solicitation of murder. According to prosecutors, they face 25 years to life in prison.
All three have denied the charges.
open image in gallery“There are two sides to every case, and thus far, the public has heard only one,” Gabriela’s lawyer, Elliot R. Zarabi, said in a statement obtained by Rolling Stone.
“We are confident that when the evidence is presented, tested, and placed in its proper context, a very different picture of Gabriela and this case will emerge.”
Gonzalez’s attorney has also disputed claims made by prosecutors while speaking to The Tampa Bay Times.
“This weaving of a biased, and often false, narrative appears to be an effort to discredit Mr Gonzalez’s character and to deny him his right to a fair trial,” Goldstein said. “What the prosecution claims happened, and the truth of what actually happened, are two very different things.”
Avery responded to the case in a statement on X in May, noting that he has sole custody of their child.
“For years, my family and I have endured intense public scrutiny, false accusations, and deeply painful attacks on our character and reputation,” he wrote. “Right now my focus is on being the best father I can be.”
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