Daniel Sikkema Sentenced to Life for Murder-for-Hire of Art Dealer Husband

Daniel Sikkema, 56, was sentenced to life in federal prison on Wednesday for arranging the murder of his estranged husband, prominent New York art dealer Brent Sikkema, in a killing prosecutors called a cold, calculated plot driven by greed. The sentence was announced by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI, closing a case that stretched from a Manhattan art gallery to an apartment in Rio de Janeiro and back to a federal courtroom in New York.

Brent Sikkema, 75, was found dead in his Rio de Janeiro home in January 2024, stabbed 18 times. Prosecutors said Daniel Sikkema paid the couple's former security guard, Alejandro Prevez, to carry out the killing while the couple's divorce was dragging on, then sent him $5,000 shortly after the fatal stabbing and promised more money to come.

Key Points

• Daniel Sikkema, 56, was sentenced to life in prison on November 4, 2026, for the murder-for-hire killing of his estranged husband, Brent Sikkema.
• Brent Sikkema, 75, co-owner of the Manhattan gallery Sikkema Jenkins & Company, was found stabbed 18 times in his Rio de Janeiro home in January 2024.
• Prosecutors said Daniel Sikkema paid former security guard Alejandro Prevez to commit the murder, sent him $5,000 afterwards and promised future payments.
• A federal jury convicted Sikkema in May 2026 after a two-week trial on murder-for-hire and conspiracy charges.
• He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release; Prevez was arrested in Brazil four days after the killing and still awaits charges there.

What Happened

Brent Sikkema was found dead in his residence in Rio de Janeiro in January 2024. He had been stabbed 18 times. Brazilian police arrested Alejandro Prevez, the couple's former security guard, four days after the murder.

According to federal prosecutors, Daniel Sikkema hired Prevez to kill his husband as the couple's divorce proceedings dragged on. He sent Prevez $5,000 shortly after the fatal stabbing and promised future payments, prosecutors said.

Daniel Sikkema was arrested in Manhattan in March 2024, initially on passport fraud charges. He was later charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to murder a person in a foreign country. A federal jury found him guilty on those charges after a two-week trial in May 2026. On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, he was sentenced to life in prison, plus five years of supervised release.

Background and Context

Brent Sikkema was a well-known figure in the New York art world. He co-founded Sikkema Jenkins & Company in the early 1990s with Michael Jenkins. The Manhattan gallery now represents more than 30 artists, including Kara Walker, Sheila Hicks and Vik Muniz, and has been a fixture of the city's contemporary art scene for more than three decades.

The killing came as the couple's marriage was ending. Daniel and Brent Sikkema were estranged, and their divorce proceedings were dragging on when the murder was arranged, according to prosecutors. That timing, and the money at stake in the split, formed the core of the government's case that the murder was planned for financial gain.

The investigation crossed borders. The murder took place in Brazil, the victim was an American art dealer, and the man accused of ordering it was arrested in Manhattan. The case was built by the FBI and prosecuted by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which handles many of the country's highest-profile federal cases.

Daniel Sikkema Life Sentence: Greed Behind a Cold, Calculated Plot

US Attorney Jamie McDonald did not soften the government's view of the case. She called it a "cold, calculated murder-for-hire plot" driven by greed and said Sikkema "manipulated friends, family, and employees" for months to arrange his husband's death.

The life sentence reflects the gravity of the crime. Under federal law, murder-for-hire is among the most serious violent offences, and a life term means Sikkema will spend the rest of his life in federal prison. The additional five years of supervised release is part of the formal sentence imposed by the court.

Reactions and Quotes

The prosecution's message was delivered in the announcement of the sentence. US Attorney Jamie McDonald described the killing as a "cold, calculated murder-for-hire plot" driven by greed, and said Sikkema had "manipulated friends, family, and employees" for months in the course of arranging it.

The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI announced the sentence jointly, underlining the case's weight. No further statement from the defence was included in the announcement.

Why It Matters

This case matters because it shows the reach of American federal law when a crime is planned and paid for from the United States, even when the killing itself happens abroad. The murder took place in Rio de Janeiro, but the plot, the payment and the prosecution all ran through New York.

It also matters to the art world, which lost one of its most respected dealers. Brent Sikkema spent more than 30 years building a gallery that championed some of contemporary art's most important names. His death, and the revelation that his own husband arranged it, has shaken a community that knew him as a central figure in New York culture.

What Happens Next

Daniel Sikkema will now begin serving his life sentence in federal prison. The five years of supervised release imposed alongside it form part of the sentence handed down by the court.

In Brazil, Alejandro Prevez still awaits charges in the Brazilian courts after his arrest four days after the murder. No timeline for those proceedings has been announced.

For more court coverage, see our reports on the Bronx woman stabbed 22 times whose attacker received eight and a half years, the third criminal case against former FBI director James Comey and the Justice Department charges against 48 noncitizens accused of illegal voting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Daniel Sikkema?

Daniel Sikkema, 56, is the estranged husband of New York art dealer Brent Sikkema. He was sentenced to life in federal prison on November 4, 2026, for arranging his husband's murder-for-hire killing.

Who was Brent Sikkema?

Brent Sikkema, 75, co-founded the Manhattan gallery Sikkema Jenkins & Company in the early 1990s with Michael Jenkins. The gallery represents more than 30 artists, including Kara Walker, Sheila Hicks and Vik Muniz.

How was Brent Sikkema killed?

He was found dead in his Rio de Janeiro residence in January 2024, stabbed 18 times. Prosecutors said Daniel Sikkema paid the couple's former security guard, Alejandro Prevez, to carry out the killing.

What was Daniel Sikkema convicted of?

A federal jury found him guilty in May 2026, after a two-week trial, of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to murder a person in a foreign country.

What happened to Alejandro Prevez?

Prevez was arrested by Brazilian police four days after the murder and still awaits charges in the Brazilian courts.