A Commerce Township man who purportedly helped arrange the slaying of Oakland County businessman Daniel Hutchinson in 2022 took the stand Wednesday for the prosecution as the trial continued for two charged with first-degree murder and other related crimes for the slaying.
Angelo Raptoplous, 34, cut a deal with prosecutors earlier this year, promising to provide “truthful testimony” in the trial of Marco Bisbikis of Novi — Hutchinson’s attorney at the time who’s accused of masterminding a murder-for-hire plan — and Roy Larry of Detroit, who allegedly fired 14 bullets at Hutchinson as he sat in his SUV with his wife Marisa outside his business on June 1, 2022. Hutchinson, shot seven times, died shortly afterward at a local hospital.
Prosecutors agreed to drop charges of first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of felony firearms in exchange for Raptoplous’ testimony and an added charge of solicitation to commit murder, with a minimum sentence of four years in prison. Raptoplous pleaded guilty to the crime in January. He’s been in the Oakland County Jail since August 2022.
While on the stand, Raptoplous said testifying in Bisbikis’ trial is “the most difficult thing I have ever done” — describing Bisbikis as “a big brother, best friend, role model, everything.” Referring to Bisbikis as his “Godbrother” whose parents baptized him, Raptoplous said he lived many of his childhood years with Bisbikis and his family.
“I had the highest regard (for Bisbikis) — (and) still do to this day…I trust him completely,” Raptoplous said.
‘I’d do anything for him’
In his testimony, Raptoplous recalled Bisbikis first telling him he had “a serious problem” involving the Hutchinsons.
“He said I wasn’t going to like it, but him and a few people were in trouble because Hutchinson was going to turn over information on them and they’d go to jail,” Raptoplous said.
Raptoplous testified that Bisbikis told him he was “on a list of people that were going to be charged with something” in relation to business associates in New York he’d met through the Hutchinsons; the couple had to be killed to keep them from testifying.
“He (Bisbikis) was to take care of it — to kill Hutch,” Raptoplous testified.
Raptoplous said Bisbikis turned to him because they were “very, very close — closer than anyone else. I’d do anything for him, he’d do anything for me.”
Raptoplous said he enlisted the help of felon Darnell Larry, who worked with him at Bisbikis’ marijuana grow operation in Grass Lake.
“I told him that I got some information that Marco is in trouble and there’s money to be made if he wanted to get involved and help Marco…Darnell said ‘count me in,’ then we brainstormed,” Raptoplous said.
Darnell Larry’s cousin, Roy Larry, was allegedly drawn into the scheme later and is accused of carrying out the shooting.
Investigators claim Bisbikis wanted the Hutchinsons dead because he had drafted a will for the couple from which he would benefit financially.
‘Push Darnell harder’
Raptoplous further testified that Bisbikis told him he’d let him know when the slaying was to happen, and at some point he was told to “get rolling.” Over the next several weeks, opportunities were missed to kill the Hutchinsons — and Bisbikis “would tell me to push Darnell harder,” Raptoplous said.
Raptoplous further testified that Bisbikis and Darnell Larry had a number of talks about the Hutchinsons but he didn’t “know the specifics about the conversations.”
The day Hutchinson was killed, Raptoplous said he had slept until the afternoon and then received a phone call from Darnell Larry, telling him he wanted to see Bisbikis; Raptoplous said he contacted Bisbikis who told him to bring Larry to his office, so he did. At the office, he said “Darnell started explaining the day…that his cousin got ran over, also that he was in the hospital under arrest and would need a lawyer,” Raptoplous said, adding that Bisbikis contacted an attorney for Roy Larry.
After Roy Larry allegedly shot Hutchinson, one of Hutchinson’s employees reportedly drove after him and hit him with his car. Roy Larry suffered an ankle injury.
After the slaying, Bisbikis told him to “ask around” about the killing and to find out what people were saying about it, Raptoplous testified. Darnell Larry was subsequently instructed to find a way to have Marisa Hutchinson killed, since she had witnessed Daniel Hutchinson’s murder. Raptoplous said Bisbikis later allowed him to take a large amount of cash from his safe that Darnell Larry could use in a photograph to recruit someone to murder Marisa Hutchinson.
Testimony continues Thursday morning. Judge Nanci Grant is presiding over the trial.