Pontiac — A Southfield attorney allegedly orchestrated the murder of his famous jeweler client to gain access to millions of dollars in the man’s trust, prosecutors said Tuesday during opening statements of a murder-for-hire trial that began this week in Oakland County.
Prosecutors said attorney Marco Bisbikis was one of five people, along with Roy Larry, Darnell Larry, Angelo Raptoplous and Philip Sumpter, who conspired to kill Oak Park jeweler Dan Hutchinson and his wife, Marisa, in 2022. Marisa survived the shooting. Bisbikis and Roy Larry’s trial began Monday in Oakland County Circuit Court.
“This is a story about greed and betrayal and murder,” Assistant Prosecutor John Skrzynski said during opening statements.
Hutchinson, known as “Hutch” by his celebrity clients, was fatally shot in his SUV on June 1, 2022, in Oak Park as his wife sat beside him.
Bisbikis, Raptoplous and both Larrys are charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to murder, solicitation of murder and a criminal firearms charge. Sumpter, who was charged later in the investigation in November, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder. A conviction on first degree murder is punishable by life in prison.
Raptoplous and Darnell Larry pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit murder and received deals to testify against Roy Larry and Bisbikis. Neither has been sentenced yet.
But Bisbikis’ attorney questioned their credibility, saying during opening statements Tuesday that Darnell Larry has repeatedly lied to police.
“In order to believe this is part of a conspiracy, you’re going to have to believe Angelo and Darnell’s testimony,” said James Thomas, Bisbikis’ attorney.
The beginnings of the conspiracy
Bisbikis, who was not only the Hutchinsons’ attorney but a friend, allegedly brought Raptoplous and Darnell Larry into the plot to kill Hutchinson and his wife, Skrzynski said.
Bisbikis allegedly told Raptoplous — who grew up with the Bisbikises after his parents died; they are his godparents — that Dan Hutchinson was planning on testifying against Bisbikis and other members of the mafia on the East Coast, Skrzynski said. Bisbikis allegedly told Raptoplous that the East Coast mafia was expecting that he would take care of Dan and stop him from testifying, the assistant prosecutor said.
“If they testify, a lot of people are going to prison, including me,” Skrzynski told Bisbikis told Raptoplous. “He tells Angelo, ‘Either I go to prison or I’m dead if (Dan isn’t) taken care of.’
The assistant prosecutor said there is no evidence any of this is true, but Raptoplous allegedly believed him.
Thomas, Bisbikis’ attorney, said the prosecution’s case relies heavily on Raptoplous and Darnell Larry’s testimony, for which they got “amazing” incentives. He criticized Darnell Larry’s truthfulness and said his story changed every time he was interviewed by police; he initially denied any knowledge of the murder plot.
The Hutchinsons signed a trust agreement with Bisbikis April 14, 2022, where he would have had access to the Hutchinsons’ trust if Dan and Marisa died, Skrzynski said.
Bisbikis would not have been able to freely take the Hutchinsons’ trust money if they both died, Thomas said. There are checks and balances in estate law to ensure that doesn’t happen, and the family of the Hutchinsons would have complained about it he had tried, Thomas said.
“To say Marco could exercise those powers without anyone complaining about it, we expect the proofs to show it doesn’t make sense,” Thomas said. “The issues related to Marco’s motivation are what I want you to look closely at.”
When Darnell Larry confronted Bisbikis with the information Raptoplous had given him, he allegedly asked if Bisbikis sent Raptoplous to ask him to kill Dan Hutchinson, Skrzynski said. Bisbikis confirmed this and allegedly said Dan was going to “bring a lot of people down.” Darnell Larry said he did not volunteer for this, and Bisbikis allegedly said the people in the mafia knew about his wife and kids, the assistant prosecutor said.
“So he’s in it whether he likes it or not,” Skrzynski said.
The day of the shooting
Bisbikis allegedly told Darnell Larry that the Hutchinsons were coming to his office June 1, 2022, and said when they came out of their parking lot, Darnell Larry should “hit them from behind,” then shoot them, Skrzynski said.
Darnell Larry allegedly got his cousin, Roy Larry, involved in the scheme at a Memorial Day barbecue. Darnell Larry was talking about Bisbikis’ alleged request and said he didn’t want to do it and go back to prison. Roy Larry allegedly agreed to help him, Skrzynski said, and told his cousin he wanted his Camaro if he helped.
Darnell and Roy went to the area of the Oak Park pawn shop June 1, spotted the Hutchinsons’ vehicle and started to follow them, Skrzynski said.
Roy allegedly took off on a bicycle toward the pawn shop and went around it several times, the assistant prosecutor said. The Hutchinsons got in their vehicle to leave the shop, and a potential customer walked up to the vehicle and started talking to them. A short time later, Alex Sakellaris, a friend and employee of the Hutchinsons, pulled up on the driver’s side of the Hutchinsons’ vehicle.
As they sat in the parking lot, the shooter — who prosecutors say was Roy Larry but his attorney contends could not have been him — surrounded him on a bike and opened fire into the vehicle, firing 14 rounds into it.
Six of the shots hit Dan. Marisa was hit in the leg.
The shooter took off on his bike, and Sakellaris chased him, ultimately striking him and knocking him off the bike. The shooter ran, and Sakellaris continued to chase him into an apartment complex, where he was ultimately arrested by police. Darnell fled when he heard the shots, Skrzynski said.
Roy Larry’s attorney, Mitchell Ribitwer, asked the jury to carefully watch the video of the shooting and compare the shooter with his client. There are substantial differences in appearance, he said. The shooter is younger, has no visible tattoos, is more muscular and has lighter skin, Ribitwer said.
Roy Larry’s DNA was not found on the bicycle or on a hat recovered at the scene, the lawyer said. The murder weapon and a medical mask the shooter wore were never found, Ribitwer said. Gloves found at the scene did have Roy Larry’s DNA on it, Ribitwer and prosecutors said, but Ribitwer said this is from the barbecue the Larrys were at together.
“The person involved in the shooting is not Roy Larry,” Ribitwer said. “Mr. Larry was in the neighborhood meeting with an escort… and to get a small amount of marijuana. Some guy attacks him, he’s running from the guy and he falls and breaks his leg.”
The only person who identified Roy Larry as being part of the shooting is his cousin Darnell, who is “not a reliable, trustworthy or credible witness” and has been a mess his entire life, Ribitwer said.
The attorney said Roy Larry would be testifying in his own defense during the trial.
Attorney: Police didn’t look at other suspects
Thomas pointed the finger at Dan Hutchinson’s murder at Sakellaris, who will not be called as one of the prosecution’s witnesses in the case. He said Sakellaris is a “career criminal” whom police ignored as a potential suspect. He had disputes in early 2022 with Dan Hutchinson over money, and Dan cut him off and stopped taking his calls in April 2022, Thomas said.
“His motive is that he’s angry at Hutch, he has a financial issue with Hutch,” Thomas said.
He also questioned why police ruled out Marisa Hutchinson as a suspect so quickly, when she had many phone calls with Sakellaris both before and after the shooting. In court filings to try to adjourn the trial, Thomas expressed frustration that he did not find out about allegations that Marisa had a sexual relationship with the lead Oak Park police officer on the case, Sgt. Dwaine Green, until less than a week before the trial was set to begin.
“All of this goes to the integrity of the investigation and the truthfulness of the witnesses,” Thomas said. “It goes to the volume of evidence prosecutors are asking you to fill in the gaps on.”
Green, who was the second witness to testify Tuesday, denied ever having a sexual relationship or sexual conversations with Marisa Hutchinson. He said he talked with her on the phone frequently, as she wanted information on how the investigation was on her and was concerned for her own safety.
Green admitted that he was reprimanded for meeting Marisa Hutchinson at a bar in Hazel Park, drinking with her and talking about the case.
“There has never been a sexual in nature phone conversation between Marisa Hutchinson and I,” Green said.
