TikTok influencer Gabbie Gonzalez and her father, Francisco Gonzalez, have been arrested over an alleged murder plot against her ex-boyfriend, boy band Why Don’t We’s Jack Avery.
Legal documents filed with Florida’s Seminole County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, May 19, and obtained by Us Weekly, showed that Francisco was arrested earlier that day on charges of “conspiracy to commit murder.”
He was taken into custody following the arrest of Gabbie, 24, in California’s Humboldt County on Friday, May 15, when she was charged with “three criminal charges as part of an alleged conspiracy to kill” Avery, 26, the father of her 7-year-old daughter, per reporting by TMZ.
In the court filing relating to Francisco, a witness alleged that Gabbie told him that a man “had been paid to kill Avery and that Francisco Gonzalez paid approximately $10,000 for the hit.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation for comment.
The filing also stated that Avery has been “involved in longstanding custody and visitation litigation” with Gabbie and an investigation “reflects that Francisco Gonzalez became deeply involved in the custody conflict and in efforts to discredit, monitor, and remove Avery” from his granddaughter’s life.
Gabbie Gonzalez Courtesy of Gabbie Gonzalez/Instagram
The alleged hit man was also interviewed by police, who claimed that Francisco “sent him money under the guise of web development payments and that there had been no actual web development work.” He also alleged that he communicated with Francisco through “encrypted Signal messages and calls.”
Gabbie’s alleged involvement in the plot was also detailed by the witness who claimed she told him of her father’s plans. The witness alleged in the filing that “Gabriela Gonzalez repeatedly said she wanted Jack Avery dead and discussed hiring a hitman,” claiming further that she and the hit man “discussed using the dark web and paying in Bitcoin,” and that an “intended killing was discussed as occurring in Los Angeles and being made to look like a car accident.”
TMZ reported on Tuesday that in light of his ex’s arrest, Avery is now seeking a court ordered protection from her in addition to “sole legal and physical custody of their daughter.” He filed a temporary restraining order against Gabbie on Tuesday, and the outlet reported that the filing stated his daughter “was staying with a foster family after Gabbie was arrested Friday.”
Jack Avery Paras Griffin/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
After Avery was reunited with his child, the documents, per TMZ, stated that he was told his daughter “made comments blaming him for his mom’s arrest” after Gabbie was allegedly “trashing him in front of their kid.”
A press release issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday stated, “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. This is a case where the defendants are accused of going to great lengths to find someone to commit murder. 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.”
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