Seminole County lawyer arrested in murder-for-hire plot case

Francisco Gonzalez, a 59-year-old Central Florida lawyer, was arrested in Seminole County after California authorities accused him of a murder-for-hire plot tied to a custody fight. Investigators say Gonzalez allegedly offered $10,000 for someone to kill Jack Avery, the father of a child he shares with Gonzalez’s daughter, Gabriela Gonzalez.

The warrant describes the dispute as a long-running custody and visitation battle that escalated far beyond a family court conflict. It also says witnesses heard Gonzalez say it would be cheaper if Avery were dead, a detail that, if proven, would place the case squarely in the realm of a planned killing rather than a bitter domestic disagreement.

Authorities say the case is built on more than one allegation. The warrant cites bank records, witness statements, private investigator activity and other evidence that investigators believe connect Gonzalez to the alleged operation. For Seminole County, the arrest puts a practicing lawyer and a family dispute at the center of a violent criminal accusation with interstate reach.

The case has already moved across state lines. Reporting published the same day says Gabriela Gonzalez was arrested on May 18, 2026, in Humboldt County, California, while boarding a flight, then transferred to Los Angeles County. Francisco Gonzalez was arrested in Florida. Other reporting says California authorities are expected to charge Gabriela Gonzalez in Los Angeles County with conspiracy to commit murder.

Jack Avery, the alleged target, is best known as a former member of the boy band Why Don’t We. That detail has helped draw wider attention to a case that would otherwise read like a bitter custody fight turned criminal, with a lawyer and a parent now facing allegations that could carry serious professional and legal consequences.

For Seminole County residents, the arrest is notable not just because it happened locally, but because it shows a California warrant being executed through the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office on a case that already spans California and Florida. The booking in Seminole County marks the point where a family dispute, a licensed professional and a murder-for-hire allegation collided in public view.