Daniel Sikkema sentenced to life for husband's murder-for-hire

Life sentence imposed in New York

A federal judge sentenced Daniel Sikkema to life in prison on November 4 for arranging the murder of his estranged husband, New York art dealer Brent Sikkema, in Brazil. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos imposed the sentence in Manhattan, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.

Sikkema, 56, was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. A federal jury convicted him on May 22 after a two-week trial on murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country. [1] [2]

Payments concealed through other identities

Evidence presented at trial established that Sikkema agreed in 2023 to pay Alejandro Prevez to kill Brent Sikkema while the couple were engaged in divorce proceedings. Prosecutors said Sikkema sent 11 payments to Prevez and Prevez's romantic partner in Cuba, concealing their source through the identities of friends, employees and relatives who were not involved.

Prevez killed Brent Sikkema at his Rio de Janeiro residence on January 14, 2024. Prosecutors said Prevez called Daniel Sikkema several times on a secret telephone number minutes later, and Sikkema then sent him $5,000 with additional payments promised. [1]

Brazilian prosecution remains pending

Brazilian authorities arrested Prevez on January 18, 2024. His criminal case remains pending in Brazil, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Brent Sikkema co-founded the Manhattan gallery now known as Sikkema Malloy Jenkins. Hyperallergic reported that the gallery has represented artists including Kara Walker, Sheila Hicks and Vik Muniz. [1] [2]

Evidence tied the arrangement to the divorce dispute

The federal prosecution placed the killing in the context of Daniel and Brent Sikkema’s contested divorce. Prosecutors said Daniel Sikkema recruited Prevez, arranged payments through intermediaries and used a secret phone number to communicate with him. The jury was asked to decide whether those actions proved an agreement and an interstate or international murder-for-hire scheme, not merely whether Sikkema knew Prevez.

The May verdict resolved that question against Sikkema on all three charged conspiracies and the murder-for-hire count. The November hearing addressed punishment rather than guilt. The life term was imposed by the same federal court in Manhattan that presided over the trial. [1] [2]

Separate proceedings and possible review remain

Prevez’s case remains with Brazilian authorities, so the U.S. sentence does not resolve his criminal liability in Brazil. The Southern District of New York said that prosecution was still pending when it announced Sikkema’s sentence. No conclusion about Prevez’s guilt should be drawn from the U.S. verdict against Sikkema. The two countries’ proceedings involve different defendants, courts and procedural rules even though they arise from the same killing.

Sikkema may pursue the ordinary post-trial and appellate process in federal court. The public sentencing announcement did not state that an appeal had been resolved. For now, the confirmed U.S. outcome is a life prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release if Sikkema is ever released. The government’s release did not identify a date for any appellate filing or describe a later ruling that altered the judgment.

Brent Sikkema’s death also affected a long-established New York gallery and the artists it represented. That professional background explains the case’s international attention, but it is separate from the evidence the jury considered. The conviction rested on the charged payment and communication scheme described by prosecutors, and the sentence reflects the federal judgment entered after that verdict. [1] [2]