Serhat Gumrukcu, a 43-year-old resident of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to life in prison on November 24, 2025, for his involvement in the murder-for-hire of Gregory Davis in Barnet, Vermont. Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss handed down the sentence following Gumrukcu’s conviction by a jury earlier this year on charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Gumrukcu’s sentencing follows those of his co-conspirators. In September 2025, Berk Eratay received a sentence of 110 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Jerry Banks was sentenced to 200 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Aron Ethridge received a sentence of 140 months in prison with five years of supervised release.
Evidence presented at trial indicated that Gumrukcu orchestrated the killing after Gregory Davis threatened legal action over a failed oil commodities transaction involving Gumrukcu. The investigation revealed that Gumrukcu had additional motivation to silence Davis because he was negotiating a major biotech merger related to his alleged discovery of an HIV cure.
According to court records, Gumrukcu enlisted his friend Berk Eratay to help arrange the murder through intermediary Aron Ethridge. Ethridge then recruited Jerry Banks as the hitman. On January 6, 2018, Banks posed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal and abducted Davis from his home in Danville, Vermont. The next day, Davis’s body was found in a snowbank near his home in Barnet.
Investigators uncovered emails and messages showing tension between Gumrukcu and Davis over the failed oil deal. This evidence led to interviews with Gumrukcu by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during which he made false statements. Further investigation using cellphone data, purchase records, banking documents, emails, and messaging identified all four individuals involved.
At the sentencing hearing, Melissa Davis—the widow of Gregory Davis—spoke before the court. She said: “for every call, every update, every reassurance that you were working tirelessly to find who murdered Gregg”; she also thanked the FBI for its “coordination across state lines,” “professionalism,” and its “relentless pursuit of truth [that] made all the difference.” Addressing prosecutors directly she added: “strength, commitment, and unwavering pursuit of justice over these many years will stay with me for the rest of my life. I watched the way you prosecuted this case during those five weeks with excellence, clarity, and conviction. There were moments I sat in that courtroom simply proud—knowing God had appointed each of you to pursue justice for Gregg.” She further expressed appreciation for her victim advocate team and Chief Judge Reiss.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised both federal and state law enforcement agencies for their joint efforts investigating this case: “the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police for their collaborative investigation…”. He also thanked other agencies including Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; as well as law enforcement partners nationwide who helped identify all participants in the crime.
The prosecution team consisted of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig with support from Karen Arena-Leene and Erin Thompson-Moran. Defense attorneys Susan Marcus and Ethan Balogh represented Serhat Gumrukcu.
