A federal jury on Friday convicted former Enochian Biosciences (now Renovaro) "scientific founder", "inventor" and former largest shareholder Serhat Gumrukcu of orchestrating the 2018 murder-for-hire of his former business partner in Vermont, according to VTDigger.com. 

The jury found Gumrukcu - who was brought to the attention of market participants by former short seller Hindenburg Research back in 2022, alongside of ShareSleuth - guilty on all three felony charges: murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He now faces a mandatory life sentence. 

Gumrukcu was taken into custody shortly afterward. Jurors deliberated for about six hours, including a lunch break, returning their decision Friday afternoon.

Gumrukcu had formerly been praised by Enochian CEO Mark Dybul - who once worked under Anthony Fauci at the National Institute of Health - with Dybul writing in November 2019 that he was "one of those rare geniuses that is not bound by scientific discipline or dogma". Hindenburg accused Dybul of turning a "blind eye to outrageous fraud" perpetrated by Gumrukcu in a stunning follow up report after the "inventor's" death. 

After being removed from Enochian, the company changed its name and continued without Gumrukcu. The murder for hire case stems from the killing of 39-year-old Gregory Davis, which prosecutors say was ordered by Gumrukcu over a soured oil deal.

“This verdict is the product of years of investigative work,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher, commending the efforts of federal and local law enforcement.

Once a Turkish national living in a Los Angeles mansion, Gumrukcu now awaits formal sentencing later this year. His attorney could not be reached for comment.

A supposed mind-reading magician turned biomedical entrepreneur, Serhat Gumrukcu mingled with Hollywood elites and earned millions through unconventional medical ventures. But during his five-week trial in Burlington, he faced a far different spotlight—three days on the witness stand, denying involvement in the 2018 murder-for-hire of former business partner Gregory Davis.

Though he claimed innocence, Gumrukcu admitted under oath to lying to authorities and said he'd told “so many lies” in past deals he couldn’t remember them all. He acknowledged buying a fake medical degree from Russia, calling it “cheating,” and described his younger self as “arrogant,” advocating unorthodox treatments like leeches and mistletoe.

As part of their investigation into Enochian and Gumrukcu, Hindenburg Research ordered the very same degree to prove that it was fake back in 2022. 

Prosecutors argued Gumrukcu had Davis killed to prevent him from exposing fraud tied to a failed oil deal—one that could have derailed a lucrative biomedical contract with Enochian BioSciences.

“Gregg Davis was a problem for the defendant,” said prosecutor Paul Van de Graaf. “It was the defendant who paid for the murder.”

Van de Graaf outlined how Gumrukcu financed the $200,000 plot, with testimony from three co-conspirators, including former assistant Berk Eratay. Eratay claimed Gumrukcu told him he wanted to “get rid of a problem,” prompting Eratay to enlist others, including hitman Jerry Banks. Banks testified he posed as a U.S. marshal, kidnapped Davis, and executed him in rural Vermont.

Defense attorney Ethan Balogh argued it was Eratay who “ran the op,” not Gumrukcu. He said the funds were meant for a cryptocurrency project and portrayed Davis as untrustworthy. Balogh accused the three key witnesses—who took plea deals to avoid life sentences—of lying to save themselves: “These men were all going to die in the cage.”

Prosecutors countered that none of them had a reason to kill Davis—except Gumrukcu. As Van de Graaf said, even “peaceful” men can outsource their violence.

As Hindenburg noted in a subsequent report, the story of Gumrukcu’s rise and fall, up to awaiting trial was chronicled in a podcast produced by Amazon’s Wondery (Spotify, Apple).