BURLINGTON – An internationally known scientist based in Los Angeles was found guilty Friday in federal court in Burlington on all 3 counts in a “Murder for Hire” and wire fraud case that showed he was the mastermind in the killing seven years ago in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Serhat D. Gumrukcu, 42, showed no emotion as the foreman read the 3 verdicts about 3:15 p.m. Friday to end the five-week trial.

Gumrukcu faces a possible mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Co-defense lawyer Ethan Balogh of San Francisco questioned when a possible sentencing hearing might be held. Chief Federal Judge Christina Reiss said three months would be the normal time frame.

Reiss gave both sides 30 days to file any possible post-judgment motions, like the defense seeking a new trial.

Prosecutors weaved together testimony and exhibits during the trial to spin a compelling story that Gumrukcu wanted Gregory Davis, 49, of Danville dead because there was a fear he might go to authorities about a bogus oil investment deal. Gumrukcu was worried that any new claims of fraud against him in late 2017 would sour an upcoming proposed $100 million deal that the defendant was about to sign. The deal went through about a week after the homicide.

On Friday, Melissa Davis, the widow, appeared shocked initially when it sounded like the jury had found Gumrukcu not guilty on the first charge of the indictment.

Judge Reiss had directed the foreman to read the entire verdict form, except the name of the case. When he finished reading the criminal charge for conspiring to have a hit man cross state lines to execute Davis, the foreman slowly read the two jury options.

“Not guilty” brought an audible gasp from Davis and some undercurrent from others in the courtroom. The foreman continued with “guilty” as the other option on the form and then announced that the jury verdict was “guilty.”

Davis bent over and looked down at the floor as she got back rubs of encouragement from people flanking her.

Davis, who testified at the trial, had remained strong as she sat throughout the trial with her father and her 17-year-old daughter. She left the courtroom a couple of times when testimony became graphic, including when colored photographs from the autopsy were displayed on screens in the courtroom.

At the time of the abduction and killing of Gregory Davis, the couple had six children: sons ages 12, 8, 6, and 1 and daughters 10 and 3. Melissa Davis also was pregnant with a seventh child, eventually another daughter.

Davis is a deeply religious woman and spent part of Friday by herself praying and part of the day mingling with her family, media members, and courthouse personnel. She said one final pray before collecting herself and walking down a hall to the courtroom to hear the verdict.

Trial testimony showed Gumrukcu reached out to his close friend and co-conspirator, Berk Eratay, 37, of Las Vegas, Nev., to try to arrange for a hitman. Eratay eventually connected with a colleague, Aron Ethridge, 44, of Henderson, Nev. to try to secure the hitman. Ethridge eventually offered the hit contract to Jerry Banks, 37, of Garland, Col., who made the cross-country drive in January 2018.

Banks, Eratay and Ethridge have all pleaded guilty to felony charges and agreed to testify during the trial in the hopes of getting lighter sentences.

Banks had made an earlier trip to Danville to do surveillance at the remote home in November 2017. When he reported back about the possible difficulty getting access to Davis, there was discussion that the whole family might have to be killed, but that plan was soon dismissed.

Banks, who had worked for a Colorado Sheriff’s Department, eventually created a plan to impersonate a deputy U.S. Marshal and abduct Davis from his residence. He eventually drove across the country and arrived at the Hawkins Road home about 9 p.m. Jan. 6, 2018. Banks, with gear, a badge and patches from the USMS, and three firearms claimed he had a federal arrest warrant from Virginia.

He handcuffed Davis, put him into his vehicle, which he had equipped with flashing blue and red lights, and drove about 15 miles to Barnet. He turned into a pull-off area and took Davis out of the back seat because of complaints by Davis about tight handcuffs.

Instead of adjusting the handcuffs, Banks fired 14 shots with a .22-caliber pistol with a home-made silencer, striking Davis at least eight times from behind, including twice in the head. He partially covered Davis with snow and headed home. The body was found the next day and Vermont State Police began the homicide investigation. Mrs. Davis told state police that the only person with a possible grudge was Gumrukcu due to the oil investment deal that went sour.

On Thursday, closing arguments were held and Judge Reiss explained the law and legal principles to the jury. The jurors got to the deliberation room about 5:15 p.m. and almost immediately sent out a note asking if they could go home and start fresh in the morning.

The jury had the case on Friday from 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. with a break for lunch. It took about 10 minutes to find all the lawyers, court staff, stenographer, and others to move to the fifth-floor courtroom. The defendant was retrieved from the courthouse cellblock by deputy marshals.

Acting U.S. Attorney for Vermont Michael Drescher said after the verdict was announced that he was proud of the extraordinary work and skill by the two trial prosecutors, Paul J. Van de Graaf and Zachary Stendig and their “extraordinary trial team, including Erin Thompson-Moran and Karen Arena-Leene,” who are paralegals and assistants.

“This verdict is the product of years of investigative work of the men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office working closely with the Vermont State Police, the FBI and law enforcement across the country,” Drescher said.

He also gave praise to the leaders in the Vermont office over the past seven years since Gregory Davis, 49, of Danville was gunned down from behind by a man posing as a deputy U.S. Marshal on January 6, 2018.

He noted the work of his predecessors including Christina Nolan, Jonathan Ophardt and Nikolas “Kolo” Kerest, along with former criminal division chief Eugenia A. P. Cowles.

The jury had the case for about six hours, including a dine-in break for lunch.

In a trial oddity, the jurors did not send any notes to the judge seeking any clarifications or asking for any testimony to be read back to them from the five weeks of witnesses.

Much of the prosecution’s case centered on the lies and deceit that Gumrukcu had spread across his lifetime. Gumrukcu, who was born in Turkey, had falsely claimed he had various medical and PhD degrees.

Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police, thanked the jury for its hard work.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Birmingham said.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli agreed it was an important win.

“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.”