On Friday, the estranged husband of a prominent New York City art dealer was found guilty of hiring a hitman to kill her in Brazil.
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Daniel Sikkema, 55, could be sentenced to life in prison. Brent Sikkema, 75, was found stabbed to death in his Rio de Janeiro townhouse in January 2024.
Daniel Sikkema, a US and Cuban citizen living in New York, was arrested in April 2024. He was found guilty in federal court in Manhattan on charges including conspiracy to commit murder and manslaughter.
The alleged killer was arrested in Brazil and remains in prison.
“In the midst of a contentious divorce proceeding with her then-husband, Daniel Sikkema callously used a burner phone line to order the murder of her husband,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.
Clayton described Brent Sikkema’s killing as a “senseless, cold-blooded murder” and said the sentence provides “a meaningful measure of justice.”
Daniel Sikkema’s lawyer, Florian Miedel, said he was disappointed with the verdict and plans to appeal.
“Daniel remains strong and hopes that he will ultimately be proven innocent,” Miedel said.
Brent Sikkema amassed a multi-million dollar fortune and owned a contemporary art gallery in Manhattan that later became Sikkema Malloy Jenkins. The company has represented international artists such as Kara Walker, Vic Muniz and Arturo Herrera for nearly 30 years, its website states.
Prosecutors said Daniel Sikkema was in frequent contact with the alleged killer before and after the killings.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Pavlis told jurors in his opening statement that Daniel Sikkema funneled more than $10,000 to the man and promised more money.
At the same time, Pavlis said, Daniel Sikkema bragged to others that he would get more money from his spouse’s death than he would from a divorce. He and Brent Sikkema had a teenage son.
“After her husband was brutally murdered, the defendant tried to cover her tracks and obtain cash,” Pavlis said.
In his opening statement, Miedel told the jury that the case was based on circumstantial evidence and that there was no evidence to prove his client’s guilt.
“Life is messy. The truth is not always obvious,” Miedel said.
