A former prostitute has been convicted of orchestrating the murder of his estranged millionaire husband at their vacation home in Brazil, aiming to secure a greater portion of a $22 million fortune. The jury deliberated for only a few hours before finding Daniel Carrera Sikkema guilty on all three counts related to the killing of Brent Sikkema, a prominent New York gallery owner.
During the trial at Manhattan’s federal court, jurors heard chilling details about the plot, which allegedly began after Daniel demanded an open marriage and escalated amid a bitter custody battle over their young son Lucas. Prosecutors argued that Daniel hired Alejandro Triana Prevez, a Cuban security guard living in Brazil, to break into Brent’s Rio de Janeiro home in January 2024 and murder him. Daniel paid Prevez $10,600 over 11 payments, including $5,000 after the murder.
Brent, 77, was found dead the next day by his lawyer, with multiple stab wounds. Prevez, 32, was arrested days later and reportedly confessed to stabbing Brent 18 times in the face, chest, and throat. Weeks after the killing, Daniel filed court papers seeking $7 million from Brent’s $22 million estate—seven times the $1 million his estranged husband had offered him.
Daniel, a Cuban American in his mid-50s, denied charges of murder-for-hire resulting in death, conspiracy to commit murder, and maiming a person in a foreign country, but the jury convicted him. Brent’s murder sent shockwaves through New York’s art world, where he founded the renowned Wooster Gardens gallery in SoHo, later renamed Sikkema Jenkins & Co, which showcased artists like Kara Walker. In a 2016 Instagram post, Brent posed with Michelle Obama, expressing immense pride in her.
Following the conviction, Jay Clayton, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated: “The tragedy of Brent Sikkema’s death now has a meaningful measure of justice as a unanimous jury of New Yorkers has held Daniel Sikkema accountable for this senseless, cold-blooded murder.” The case has also led to a civil lawsuit in a New York state court by Brent’s estate, seeking to bar Daniel from inheriting Brent’s money on the grounds that he was responsible for his death.
The civil lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, detailed that the plot’s background was Daniel’s desire to have sex with other people. In 2019, he proposed an open marriage and moving the family to Cuba, where they owned two homes. After Brent rejected these proposals, the marriage deteriorated. In 2022, Daniel filed for divorce and attempted to withdraw $200,000 from one of Brent’s accounts using a forged check. He also falsely told police that Brent planned to commit mass murder at JFK airport, leading to Brent’s arrest and 22-hour detention.
The lawsuit stated: “Defendant’s motive for murdering Brent is self-evident. (Daniel) and Brent were in the midst of a contentious divorce that included disputes over custody of their minor child.” It added that Daniel had no other source of support beyond sums from his marriage and would receive more as a surviving spouse than in a divorce settlement. Brent had grown increasingly concerned in 2023 that Daniel might physically harm him.
During closing arguments, Assistant US Attorney Remy Grosbard highlighted “overwhelming evidence” that Daniel paid someone to kill his husband and tried to cover it up. Daniel made 11 payments to Prevez starting in July 2023, with some as low as $300. Before the first payment, Daniel told a friend: “I’m still fighting with this old bastard who won’t die… until he dies or until someone kills him, or until I get divorced, that’s how it’s got to be.” Days later, he repeated similar sentiments.
To conceal the payments, Daniel enlisted close friends to wire money without revealing its purpose. For four later installments, he stole the identity of a former handyman and offered him $3,000 to stay silent once the plot was exposed. Prevez conducted a scouting trip from Sao Paulo to Rio to survey Brent’s home. In December 2023, Prevez returned to Rio intending to kill Brent but failed.
Around that time, Daniel told a friend: “He (Brent) can take all the time he wants. Let’s see if instead of getting divorced I end up a widower. It would suit me much better.” Surveillance footage showed Brent arriving home around 9 pm on January 13, 2024. At 3:42 am the next day, Prevez allegedly entered the building using a key provided by Daniel. Fourteen minutes later, after the murder, Prevez departed. The jury viewed grisly crime scene photos, including a bloodstained knife and Brent’s body on the bed.
In her closing, Grosbard noted that immediately after leaving, Prevez called Daniel twice, and Daniel returned the call for eight minutes before deactivating the number saved as “Raymundo Rodriguez.” “When a hitman leaves after a murder, he calls the man who ordered the hit,” she said. The pair continued texting on another phone, “celebrating the murder.” Daniel sent a bunny emoji the day after and offered to help Prevez escape to the US. However, Prevez was arrested and claimed another person was responsible or that he was drugged.
Grosbard told the jury that weeks after the slaying, Daniel showed no remorse, telling a friend: “I couldn’t care less. He’s (Brent) better off dead. I’m telling you. When I go to claim what’s rightfully mine, I’m going to be ruthless.” Daniel then executed the “cash out” phase, seeking to claim Brent’s Brazilian properties, including the murder home, and planning to sell off Brent’s art. He eyed accounts with large sums and sought advances.
Two months after Brent’s death, Daniel filed court papers seeking $7 million from the $22 million estate—seven times the $1 million offered in divorce. Grosbard concluded: “The defendant told you in his own words, he was absolutely ruthless… It points to one simple conclusion: the defendant wanted Brent dead and to profit from his death. The defendant hired a hitman to kill Brent and tried to cover it up.” Prevez did not testify, but Grosbard said there was “no dispute” he killed Brent. Daniel’s lawyer, Florian Miedel, argued there was no direct evidence linking his client to Prevez.
