A biotech executive in California has been found guilty of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plan that resulted in the deaths of six individuals along with the father of a former business associate, following a failed oil trade.
Selhat Gumluk, 42, from Los Angeles, is facing a mandatory life sentence related to the murder of Gregory Davis, which occurred in 2018. The U.S. Attorney’s Office provided details on the case.
Gumluk, who founded Enokian Biologics, plotted this deadly conspiracy after Davis, a father of six whose wife was expecting their seventh child, threatened to file a lawsuit against him over a botched oil deal.
Prosecutors reported that Gumluk enlisted his friend, Burke Elatey, 38, in the plan. On January 6, 2018, a man named Jerry Banks, 37, arrived at Davis’s residence in a vehicle with flashing lights, falsely claiming to be a law enforcement officer needing to ask him some questions.
Davis was then abducted from his home in Danville and subsequently murdered, as stated by prosecutors. His body was discovered a day later, buried in snow near Burnett, Vermont.
Following the murder, investigators quickly uncovered emails and messages that revealed growing tensions between Gumluk and Davis due to the failed oil transaction. The FBI interviewed Gumluk twice during their investigation.
Despite his earlier lies during those interviews, it was the mobile phone records, financial documents, and electronic communications that ultimately uncovered his and Elatey’s involvement in the crime.
Back in 2017, Gumluk was navigating a multi-million-dollar merger involving Enokian Biologics, which he touted as a breakthrough HIV treatment.
The prosecutor noted that Davis’s potential legal action regarding the failed oil deal could jeopardize Gumluk’s ambitions concerning Enokian Biologics.
Gumluk’s legal troubles escalated in May 2022 when he was arrested. In April, he was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, and fraud.
Prosecutors mentioned that Gumluk attempted to obscure his role in Davis’s murder by financially compensating someone to hire the hitman responsible for Davis’s death.
This case reflects years of dedicated investigation from legal authorities working with the FBI and local police.
Both Banks and another associate were apprehended in April 2022, while Elatey was arrested the following month. Banks received a sentence of 200 months in prison, while Elatey was sentenced to 110 months. Another co-conspirator, Esridge, received 140 months and was also assigned a subsequent supervised release.
Recently, during a court appearance, Melissa, Davis’s widow, confronted Gumluk, expressing her anguish over the impact of his actions on her family. She made a poignant statement regarding the profound loss her family has suffered.
As the verdict was delivered in November, Gumluk faced the reality of a mandatory life sentence ahead of him.
