A TikTok creator with millions of followers now sits in a Los Angeles County jail, held without bail after prosecutors say she and her father conspired to have the father of her child killed. The target: Jack Avery, a former member of the boy band Why Don't We.
Gabbie Gonzalez, 24, was arrested May 18 by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and transferred to Los Angeles County custody, where she was arraigned the following day on a felony conspiracy-to-commit-murder charge. Her father, Francisco Gonzalez, was arrested separately in Florida in connection with the same alleged scheme, NBC News reported.
The charges stem from what authorities describe as a murder-for-hire conspiracy that dates back to 2021 and grew out of a bitter custody fight over the couple's seven-year-old daughter, Lavender.
Gabbie Gonzalez and Jack Avery share a daughter born when both were teenagers navigating public life. Avery rose to fame as a member of Why Don't We, the pop group that built a massive following before disbanding. Gonzalez, meanwhile, amassed her own audience on TikTok.
Behind the social media personas, the two were locked in a contentious custody dispute in Los Angeles Superior Court. Prosecutors allege that fight became the motive for a plot to eliminate Avery permanently.
A witness told investigators that Francisco Gonzalez once remarked that "it would be cheaper if Jack were dead," the New York Post reported, citing TMZ via The California Post. The alleged scheme went well beyond words. Authorities say it involved surveillance of Avery, payments, and an undercover federal agent who posed as a hitman.
The involvement of an undercover agent suggests federal law enforcement had penetrated the alleged conspiracy before any physical harm reached Avery. Investigators have not publicly detailed how they first learned of the plot or how long the undercover operation lasted.
Avery himself appears to have raised concerns about the alleged threat through the family court system. In a Los Angeles Superior Court filing cited by The California Post, he made a stark claim about the mother of his child.
"Gabriela attempted to kill me by hiring a hit man. Gabriela is not stable and not able to act in the best interest of our daughter."
Authorities have not publicly confirmed when Avery first learned of the alleged plot or whether his court filing preceded or followed the law enforcement investigation. The timeline between his filing and the arrests remains unclear.
Murder-for-hire cases that involve undercover agents posing as contract killers have become a recurring feature in federal prosecutions. In one recent high-profile example, a man was convicted in Brooklyn for an Iran-directed assassination conspiracy that also relied on undercover law enforcement work to expose the scheme before anyone was harmed.
Gabbie Gonzalez faces a felony conspiracy-to-commit-murder charge. The judge ordered her held without bail following her May 19 arraignment, a signal that the court views her as either a flight risk or a danger. Francisco Gonzalez was arrested in Florida, though the specific charges he faces and his current custody status have not been detailed in public reporting.
Both are presumed innocent. No trial date has been announced, and the case remains in its early stages.
Conspiracy-to-commit-murder charges in California carry severe penalties. A conviction can result in a sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. Prosecutors will need to prove that the defendants entered into an agreement to kill Avery and that at least one of them took a concrete step toward carrying out the plan. The undercover operation and any recorded communications will likely form the backbone of the prosecution's case.
Investigators will also need to determine the full scope of the alleged conspiracy: how much money changed hands, whether anyone beyond the father and daughter participated, and how close the plot came to execution before law enforcement intervened.
The case lands at the intersection of internet fame, family court, and alleged violent crime. Gabbie Gonzalez built a brand on TikTok that reached millions. Avery performed for arena crowds as part of a group that topped charts and sold out tours. Their daughter, still a young child, sits at the center of a custody dispute that prosecutors now say turned into a murder plot.
Cases involving public figures and allegations of extreme violence tend to draw intense scrutiny. A former sitcom actor was recently found guilty of attempted murder for stabbing an ex-girlfriend, a reminder that fame offers no immunity from the criminal justice system and no guarantee of restraint.
The Gonzalez case also raises questions about what safeguards family courts can provide when custody disputes escalate beyond legal filings. Avery's court declaration painted a picture of a co-parent he believed was willing to resort to lethal violence. Whether the court acted on that filing before law enforcement stepped in has not been disclosed.
Violent crimes involving figures from the music world have surfaced with troubling frequency. A young singer recently appeared in court on murder-related charges, and a former professional athlete was sentenced to life for killing a family member. The pattern is not a trend so much as a recurring proof that wealth and public adoration do not prevent the darkest human impulses from surfacing.
Several critical questions remain open. Authorities have not said whether Gabbie Gonzalez or her father made direct contact with someone they believed was a real hitman before the undercover agent entered the picture. The duration and mechanics of the surveillance allegedly conducted on Avery have not been detailed publicly.
Prosecutors also have not disclosed whether Lavender was present during any of the alleged planning or whether child protective services has been involved. The child's welfare and custody status going forward will likely become a parallel legal matter as the criminal case proceeds.
No public results have been released about any financial trail connecting payments to the alleged murder-for-hire arrangement, though the New York Post noted that authorities allege payments were part of the scheme.
Gabbie Gonzalez's next court appearance has not been announced. Her father's proceedings in Florida, and any potential extradition to California, remain pending. Both face the full weight of a justice system that treats murder-for-hire conspiracies with the seriousness they deserve.
When a custody fight allegedly graduates from motions and declarations to hitmen and surveillance, the system has already failed at least once. The question now is whether it holds the people responsible fully accountable.
