Seminole County man charged in murder-for-hire plot targeting singer Jack Avery

Kai Faron Cordrey was in custody at the North County Correctional Facility as of May 22, charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder in case 26CJCF03024. Prosecutors say Cordrey was one of three defendants in a murder-for-hire scheme aimed at singer Jack Avery, a case that has pulled a Seminole County name into an interstate criminal investigation with serious stakes for every person involved.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office says the alleged conspiracy ran from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022, and grew out of a custody dispute involving Avery and Gabriela Lauren Gonzalez’s daughter. Gabriela Gonzalez and her father, Francisco Javier Gonzalez, were charged alongside Cordrey. If convicted as charged, prosecutors say the three face 25 years to life in state prison.

According to prosecutors, Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent Cordrey $10,000 in April 2021 as front money to find, hire and pay someone to kill Avery, then later sent another $4,000 after the purported hitman asked for more money. In September 2021, an undercover law-enforcement officer posing as a hitman spoke with Cordrey about the plot. Prosecutors say Cordrey identified Avery as the target and discussed payment and proof of death.

Court records and an affidavit described Francisco Gonzalez as hostile toward Avery and said he allegedly told someone it would be cheaper if Avery were dead. Investigators also said he directed a private investigator to track Avery in Kauai, Hawaii. Prosecutors further allege the intended killing was discussed as something that could happen in Los Angeles and be made to look like a car accident. Court records also show Gabriela Gonzalez and Cordrey tried to recruit Dustin Barca to threaten Avery.

The case has drawn attention because it ties a local arrest to a celebrity target and a family conflict that prosecutors say escalated into a murder plot. Avery is a former member of the band Why Don’t We, and Gabriela Gonzalez has been described as a social media influencer with a large following. Francisco Gonzalez was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to California, keeping the case active across state lines.