Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Three men have been sentenced in federal court for their involvement in the murder-for-hire plot that led to the death of Gregory Davis in Barnet, Vermont. The sentencing took place on September 25 and 26, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss.
Berk Eratay, age 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada, received a sentence of 110 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Jerry Banks, age 37, of Gardener, Montana, was sentenced to 200 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Aron Ethridge, age 45, of Henderson, Nevada, was given a sentence of 140 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
A fourth individual involved in the conspiracy, Serhat Gumrukcu, age 42, of Los Angeles, California, was convicted by a jury on April 18, 2025. Gumrukcu faces a mandatory life sentence; his sentencing has been postponed until November 24, 2025.
According to information presented during the trial and contained in court records, Gumrukcu arranged for Davis’s murder after Davis threatened legal action related to Gumrukcu’s role in a failed oil commodities transaction. Gumrukcu was also convicted of wire fraud connected to this deal. Evidence indicated that Gumrukcu sought to silence Davis due to ongoing negotiations over a multi-million-dollar biotech merger involving his alleged discovery of an HIV cure.
Gumrukcu enlisted his friend Berk Eratay to help coordinate the plan 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 near his home in Barnet.
Investigators used cellphone data, purchase and banking records, emails and messaging evidence to identify those responsible for Davis's kidnapping and death. During interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Gumrukcu made false statements about his involvement.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher recognized several law enforcement agencies for their work on the case: "I commend the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police for their collaborative investigation of Gumrukcu, Eratay, Banks, and Ethridge, and the crimes associated with Davis’s murder." He also thanked other agencies including Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; as well as numerous law enforcement entities nationwide for helping identify those involved at every level.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul J. Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig prosecuted the case with support from Karen Arena-Leene and Erin Thompson-Moran. Defense counsel included Allan Sullivan and Mark Oettinger for Eratay; Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth for Banks; and Mark Kaplan for Ethridge.
