2 weeks ago
In nan early greeting hours of 14 January 2024, a hitman slipped into nan renowned New York City gallerist Brent Sikkema’s Rio de Janeiro townhouse.
The alleged assassin, Alejandro Triana Prevez, grabbed a room weapon and traveled to Sikkema’s upstairs bedroom. An altercation unfolded adjacent nan chamber door. As Sikkema, 75, struggled for his life, Prevez stabbed him, a suit revenge successful New York authorities civilian tribunal alleges.
Sikkema was past forced connected to his bed. Prevez drove nan weapon into Sikkema’s assemblage and look complete and complete again, stabbing him a full of 18 times. Prevez past covered Sikkema’s assemblage pinch a pillow and broad earlier leaving, civilian tribunal papers allege.
Brazilian authorities arrested Prevez astir 4 days later and successful little than 2 weeks, he allegedly made a startling admission. Prevez claimed that Sikkema’s estranged husband, Daniel, had plotted nan grisly deed that has rocked nan creation world.
Sikkema founded nan modern creation assemblage Wooster Gardens successful Manhattan’s SoHo vicinity astir 1991 and past relocated to nan Chelsea neighborhood. The assemblage was yet renamed Sikkema Jenkins & Co and was celebrated for showcasing modern artists specified arsenic creator Kara Walker and photographer Vik Muniz, according to Artnet.
The gallery, now named Sikkema Malloy Jenkins, became known for representing artists from a divers scope of backgrounds earlier galore different gallerists prioritized diversity. The assemblage besides represented Jeffrey Gibson arsenic nan first Indigenous creator to correspond nan US solo astatine nan Venice Biennale creation show.
Prevez’s alleged confession group disconnected a concatenation of events that culminated pinch Daniel Sikkema’s murder-for-hire proceedings successful Manhattan national tribunal past week. These criminal proceedings, arsenic good arsenic civilian litigation, uncover specifications surrounding nan illness of a once-happy matrimony that allegedly spiraled into murder.
“Brent Sikkema was brutally murdered,” charismatic Nicholas Pavlis told jurors successful his opening statement. “A hitman snuck into his location … and stabbed Brent complete and complete again.
“When nan occupation was done, nan hitman instantly made a telephone call. Who did he call? He called nan suspect – that man” Pavlis continued, pointing to him. “Daniel Sikkema.”
“They were going done a bad divorcement and fighting complete money,” Pavlis said, arsenic Daniel Sikkema sat successful court, appearing not to show immoderate emotion.
Pavlis said that sound notes and different media specified arsenic texts intelligibly uncover Daniel Sikkema’s motive. In 1 WhatsApp connection dated 18 May 2023, Daniel Sikkema allegedly sent an subordinate a connection he seemingly planned connected sending Brent Sikkema, according to tribunal papers.
“I want you to transportation $6m to my account,” Daniel Sikkema allegedly wrote, besides insisting that Brent owed him kid support for their son. “The alimony I’m entitled to for having been joined to you.”
Daniel Sikkema allegedly said successful a 14 July 2023 sound note, besides cited successful tribunal papers: “I’m still fighting pinch this aged bastard who won’t die. But anyway, I’ll show you, until he dies aliases until personification kills him aliases until … aliases … aliases until I get divorced, that’s really it’s going to be. Well, anyway, kisses.”
Days later, Daniel Sikkema allegedly recorded still much sound notes discussing divorcement and death.
“And present I americium struggling with, oh, this aged bastard who won’t dice soon enough, for God’s sake. Every time it’s thing different. Every day. Now he’s trim disconnected nan in installments paper he gave maine to salary for [son]’s things and stuff, making up lies that I walk connected this and that,” he allegedly said.
The animus persisted and connected 11 December 2023 – little than 1 period earlier Brent Sikkema’s killing—Daniel Sikkema allegedly said successful a recording: “We are successful nan divorcement process, which ne'er ends.
“Well, he tin return each nan clip he wants. Let’s spot if … alternatively of getting divorced, I extremity up a widower, which would suit maine overmuch better.”
Although Brent Sikkema had disinherited Daniel Sikkema from his will, that didn’t deter his ex’s alleged desire for money post-murder. In 1 sound statement dated 8 February 2024 discussed successful tribunal papers, Daniel Sikkema allegedly said: “Well, yes, I already person my lawyers who are going to … astatine nan correct time, declare what belongs to me, what I’m entitled to arsenic a widower.
More specifications emerged successful a wrongful decease suit revenge by nan organizer of Brent Sikkema’s estate.
The mates met successful Miami astir 19 years ago. They became romanticist partners and Daniel Sikkema, a Cuban nationalist astatine nan time, moved into Brent Sikkema’s New York City apartment. They had a boy via surrogate successful 2010 and wed successful 2013.
Daniel Sikkema successful 2019 allegedly “propositioned” his then-husband to person an “open marriage” and relocate their family to Cuba. “After Brent S rejected these proposals, their matrimony began to deteriorate,” nan suit said.
Daniel Sikkema revenge for divorcement successful 2022 and nan proceedings swiftly took a bitter turn. He allegedly tried to retreat $200,000 from his husband’s slope relationship “using a forged check” but grounded arsenic nan relationship didn’t person that overmuch money, nan suit alleges.
In March 2022, Daniel Sikkema allegedly told their son’s schoolhouse that he wouldn’t beryllium returning for nan upcoming schoolhouse year, saying they were moving to Cuba.
Daniel Sikkema allegedly absconded that month, taking their son, without revealing their whereabouts. Brent Sikkema went weeks without knowing wherever their boy was – aliases whether he was OK.
Daniel Sikkema and their boy yet “surfaced” successful New York City, allegedly because he needed money from Brent Sikkema. After Brent Sikkema obtained a tribunal bid to confiscate their son’s passports to forestall Daniel from taking him distant without his approval.
Then came nan mendacious allegations. Daniel Sikkema allegedly complained to New York City’s kid use agency successful an effort to get afloat custody of their boy – but authorities wished nan claims “had nary merit”, according to nan suit.
Daniel Sikkema complained to nan family tribunal successful yet different effort to unafraid afloat custody of their son. He revenge a constabulary study claiming “wrongful eviction” aft Brent Sikkema changed their locks.
Daniel Sikkema “also complained to nan New York criminal authorities that Brent S planned to perpetrate wide execution astatine John F Kennedy world airport,” nan suit alleges. Brent Sikkema was arrested and jailed successful a holding compartment pinch “dangerous criminals” for 22 hours.
The salient creation trader was “ultimately released without immoderate charges because nan constabulary concluded Defendant’s allegations … to beryllium unfounded.”
In 2023, Daniel Sikkema allegedly hired Prevez – who astatine constituent had worked arsenic his information defender – to termination Brent Sikkema. He allegedly directed thousands successful payments to Prevez, utilizing intermediaries specified arsenic his housekeeper.
“The suspect spent complete $10,000 connected his husband’s death,” Pavlis said successful court.
Daniel Sikkema has maintained his innocence. During nan defense opening, lawyer Florian Miedel insisted that”no 1 is going to travel into this courtroom and opportunity ‘I person existent knowledge that Daniel hired Alejandro to termination Brent”.
He said location were nary messages astir a scheme to termination Brent Sikkema. Prevez, connected nan different hand, was “obsessed pinch a female successful Cuba” and was laser-focused connected “buying her a location successful Spain”.
As for Daniel Sikkema’s bleak comments astir his husband’s decease earlier nan murder, Miedel said that life tin beryllium “messy”. During contentious divorces, group tin opportunity “things they don’t mean”.
And sometimes during acrimonious splits, Miedel argued, group conscionable opportunity things that bespeak “the worst versions of themselves”.
