More than a year after the tragic murder of renowned American art dealer Brent Sikkema in Brazil, U.S. authorities have announced the arrest of his Cuban ex-husband, Daniel Sikkema. He is accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire scheme.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed in a formal statement that 54-year-old D. Sikkema, a New York resident, was apprehended and charged in the Southern District of New York. He allegedly hired a hitman to kill his ex-spouse, the wealthy art dealer Brent Sikkema, who was murdered in Rio de Janeiro on January 14, 2024.
On Tuesday, D. Sikkema appeared before a judge in the Southern District of New York. The charges against him include conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to murder a U.S. citizen abroad, and passport fraud, as noted by the DOJ.
If found guilty, he faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment or death. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence, taking into account U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors, according to the official communication.
Court documents indicate that starting in 2023, D. Sikkema offered money to an individual referred to as CC-1 in the formal charges, in exchange for killing his ex-husband, with whom he was engaged in a contentious divorce process.
While the DOJ did not name the victim, it specified that he was a U.S. citizen who had amassed a multimillion-dollar fortune and frequently traveled to Rio de Janeiro, where he owned properties.
Authorities highlighted that before the murder, D. Sikkema sent money to the hitman using a stolen identity and intermediaries, attempting to conceal the payment source.
The assassin hired by the Cuban carried out the murder of Brent Sikkema on January 14, 2024.
The FBI led the investigation, with the case being prosecuted by Chelsea Schinnour, a trial attorney from the DOJ's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Foster and Remy Grosbard from the Southern District of New York.
Richard Levitt, representing D. Sikkema, stated via email that his client "continues to maintain his innocence and looks forward to complete vindication at trial," according to The New York Times.
Capture of the Crime Perpetrator in Brazil and Arrest Warrant for Daniel Sikkema
On the night of January 15, 2024, Rio de Janeiro firefighters discovered Brent Sikkema, co-owner of the Sikkema Jenkins & Co. gallery in New York, dead with stab wounds in his apartment at Rua Abreu Fialho, number 15, in the exclusive Jardim Botânico neighborhood.
Three days later, police arrested 30-year-old Cuban Alejandro Triana Prevez in the state of Minas Gerais as a suspect in the murder.
According to the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro, the alleged killer traveled from São Paulo to the city to commit the crime and surveilled B. Sikkema's residence for 14 hours before acting. Surveillance cameras at the building's exit identified him.
On February 10, Brazilian authorities ordered the arrest and pre-trial detention of Cuban-American D. Sikkema, accusing him of being the "intellectual author and primary instigator of the crime."
Judge Tula Correa de Mello of Rio de Janeiro's Third Criminal Court issued the arrest warrant via Interpol's dissemination network, using the appropriate Federal Police channel, as the accused resided in another country. The judicial order also mandated pre-trial detention for Triana. A statement from the judiciary indicated that D. Sikkema hired his compatriot, a former bodyguard of B. Sikkema, promising to pay him $200,000 for the murder.
On January 14, at 3:43 a.m., Triana entered the residence with keys allegedly sent by D. Sikkema from the U.S. and stabbed the art dealer approximately 18 times, primarily targeting the neck and chest, according to a Daily Mail report.
Brent and Daniel Sikkema were married for 15 years and were undergoing a challenging divorce process. They share a teenage son.
The American art dealer founded the gallery in 1991 under the name Wooster Gardens, referencing its original location on Wooster Street in SoHo. In 1999, the exhibition space expanded to its current location at 530 West 22nd Street in New York, showcasing paintings, illustrations, photographs, sculptures, and installations. In January, on the first anniversary of its founder's murder, the gallery was renamed Sikkema Malloy Jenkins.
Daniel Sikkema was born in Cuba as Daniel García Carrera, emigrated to Spain, and later moved to the United States. In a 2006 autobiography titled Ticket to Paradise, he recounted fleeing Cuba after a childhood and youth marked by hardship, working in Spain as a male escort.
Key Questions About the Brent Sikkema Murder Case
Who was Brent Sikkema?
Brent Sikkema was a prominent American art dealer and co-owner of the Sikkema Jenkins & Co. gallery in New York. He was known for his contributions to the art world and had properties in Rio de Janeiro.
What are the charges against Daniel Sikkema?
Daniel Sikkema faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to murder a U.S. citizen abroad, and passport fraud. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
What was the motive behind the murder?
The alleged motive behind the murder was a contentious divorce process between Brent and Daniel Sikkema, during which Daniel reportedly hired a hitman to kill his ex-husband.