Date: April 18, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
Burlington, VT 〞 The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that earlier today, after a five-week trial before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss, a federal jury convicted Serhat Gumrukcu of Los Angeles, California, of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gumrukcu remains in jail pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Gumrukcu has been held in custody since his arrest in May 2022.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Gumrukcu solicited the murder of Gregory Davis due to Davis＊s threats of legal action related to Gumrukcu＊s role in a failed oil commodities transaction. Gumrukcu＊s conviction for wire fraud stemmed from his fraudulent activities in relation to this failed oil deal. Gumrukcu was particularly motivated to silence Davis due to his negotiations of a multimillion-dollar biotech merger involving Gumrukcu＊s alleged discovery of a cure for HIV. Gumrukcu relied on his close friend, Berk Eratay, to arrange through a second intermediary, Aaron Ethridge, the hiring of a hitman to kill Davis. Ethridge recruited Jerry Banks for the hitman role, who on January 6, 2018, posed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, and abducted Davis from his Danville, Vermont home. On January 7, 2018, Davis＊s deceased body was located in a snowbank a short distance from his home. Investigators quickly discovered emails and messaging indicating the tension between Gumrukcu and Davis over the failed oil deal, resulting in Gumrukcu being interviewed twice by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gumrukcu made false statements during each interview. Cellphone location information, purchase records, banking documentation, emails, and messaging discovered during the investigation led to the identification of the four conspirators who caused the kidnapping and death of Davis.
Based on the jury＊s verdict, Gumrukcu faces a statutorily mandated sentence of life imprisonment.
※Serhat Gumrukcu tried to hide his role in the murder of Greg Davis by paying one man to pay another man to pay the hitman, who shot and killed Greg Davis on a January night in Vermont. Uncovering Gumrukcu＊s responsibility for this murder involved years of determined investigation by the men and women of Vermont＊s United States Attorney＊s Office, working closely with the FBI and the Vermont State Police,§ stated Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher.
※Holding Gumrukcu responsible for this murder also required the work of an extraordinarily talented trial team, consisting of Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig, with tremendous courtroom support from Erin Thompson-Moran and Karen Arena-Leene.§ Drescher also thanked the numerous law enforcement entities across the country who worked to identify Banks as the hired hitman, Ethridge and Eratay as middlemen, and Gumrukcu as the financier and benefactor of the murder scheme.
FBI Special Agent in Charge, Craig L. Tremaroli stated, ※Serhat Gumrukcu is a ruthless criminal whose greed drove him to order the death of his own business partner. Today, our thoughts are with Gregory Davis＊s family. We are proud to have brought them justice and are incredibly grateful to our partners at the United States Attorney＊s Office, and all our law enforcement partners across the country who assisted with this complex investigation.§
※We join our federal partners in thanking the members of the jury for their careful deliberations and verdict convicting Serhat Gumrukcu of all charges,§ said Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police. ※The jury＊s determination of guilt reflects the diligent police work, and the copious evidence collected during what would become one of the most sweeping, comprehensive and complex investigations in Vermont State Police history. Starting on the day more than seven years ago that Gregory Davis＊s body was discovered on a snowy, remote road in Barnet, the state police, along with our investigative partners including the FBI, focused on identifying those responsible for his senseless killing and bringing them to justice. We hope that with today＊s verdict, Mr. Davis＊s family may be able to find a small measure of comfort knowing the person who bore ultimate responsibility has been held accountable.§
At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig represented the government, with support from Karen Arena-Leene and Erin Thompson-Moran. Gumrukcu was represented by Susan K. Marcus, Esq., and Ethan A. Balogh, Esq.
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attach谷 posts abroad.