The trial concerning the murder of a high-profile jeweler in Michigan has revealed shocking allegations of mob ties and a deep conspiracy to steal the victim’s estate so far involving five co-conspirators.
Dan Hutchinson, who owned "The Hutch" in Oak Park, Michigan, died on June 1, 2022, when a suspect on an electric bike pulled up beside an SUV containing Hutchinson and his wife, Marisa, and opened fire with a pistol, striking Hutchinson several times, according to a complaint filed with the Oakland County court.
The case added a fifth defendant, Phillip Sumpter, 59, in November 2023, but his involvement only came to light last week when the Oakland Press reported on his court appearance. Fox News Digital acquired a copy of the complaint, which lists Sumpter along with Marco Bisbikis, Angelo Raptoplous, Darnell Larry and Roy Larry as defendants, all of whom remain in jail without bond.
"Phillip Sumpter was arrested in the Columbus, Ohio area in late October and extradited back to Michigan to face conspiracy to commit murder involving the Daniel Hutchinson murder," Oak Park Public Safety Lt. Marlon Benson told the Oakland Press.
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Sumpter tried to claim he was a "sovereign citizen" and not the man accused of the crimes, but the judge dismissed his claims, telling Sumpter he "couldn’t pick and choose which laws you wish to (apply to) yourself." Sumpter then requested a new attorney.
The most explosive allegation claimed Bisbikis, a 38-year-old lawyer based out of Detroit, had mob ties. Darnell Larry claimed that Bisbikis was a ranking mafia member who told the Larry cousins that the Hutchinsons had to die by a "certain time," Fox 2 Detroit reported.
Larry claimed that mafia figures in New York put out a $200,000 murder contract for the Hutchinsons, with him and mutual contact Raptoplous each taking $50,000 for the job "if everything went well," while his cousin, who allegedly carried out the murder, would receive a Chevrolet Camaro.
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Bisbikis stands accused of orchestrating Hutchinson’s murder after writing himself into the jeweler’s will. He faces five charges, including two counts of homicide, a charge of assault with intent to murder and two weapon offenses.
Bisbikis allegedly hired Roy Larry, 45, on the recommendation of his cousin Darnell Larry, to murder the Hutchinsons. Bisbikis found both through their mutual contact Raptoplous, 33, who secured a plea deal to testify against the other defendants.
Marisa Hutchinson also testified, obtaining immunity beforehand: She described how Bisbikis handled the couple’s money, often offering advice to Dan Hutchinson.
The company didn’t report all cash transactions since cash payments over $10,000 require tax filings. Some customers didn’t want to provide information necessary for these forms, such as Social Security numbers. Hutchinson catered to many famous clients, including rappers, athletes and local entertainers.
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Hutchinson created a pair of Cartier glasses that Detroit rapper Gmac Cash gave to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Bisbikis also convinced the couple to bring significant sums of money to his office, where he would supposedly put it into a trust. The trust would then purchase real estate for the couple, including a $600,000 pawn shop.
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Marisa Hutchinson described the arrangement as a "gentleman’s agreement" and a "very gray area of the business," according to Fox 2. The Hutchinsons gave $2.1 million to Bisbikis, who was to match the investment with his own money and provide a guaranteed rate of return.
"We were advised by Mr. Bisbikis that as long as we did not collect interest on this sort of transaction that it was OK to conduct that," Marisa Hutchinson said in her testimony, revealing that the couple later found out Bisbikis only invested $900,000 of the couple’s money and returned nothing.
