Former gigolo gets life for orchestrating hit on elderly art dealer husband amid custody dispute
NEW YORK (TCN) — A 56-year-old former sex worker has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder-for-hire and conspiracy charges in connection with the 2024 stabbing of his estranged husband in the midst of a divorce and custody dispute.
According to the New York Post, 75-year-old Brent Sikkema owned a prominent gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood that often showcased work by notable artists. At the time of his death, he was embroiled in a divorce and custody dispute with his husband, Daniel Sikkema, who had previously been a sex worker.
On Jan. 14, 2024, the couple’s former security guard, Alejandro Triana Prevez, stabbed Brent Sikkema 18 times at their vacation home in Brazil after Daniel Sikkema had paid him approximately $9,000 to do so, according to the New York Post. The Guardian reportsTriana Prevez was arrested four days later and told police the victim’s husband had planned the hit.
The couple met in Miami, had a son via surrogate in 2010, and got married in 2013. Daniel Sikkema reportedly filed for divorce in 2022 after Brent Sikkema declined his proposition to open up their marriage and move to his home country of Cuba, according to the Guardian.
At trial, jurors heard voice notes and saw texts that prosecutors say proved Daniel Sikkema’s motive. In one voice note from July 2023, Daniel Sikkema was heard saying, “I’m still fighting with this old bastard who won’t die. But anyway, I’ll tell you, until he dies or until someone kills him or until … or until I get divorced, that’s how it’s going to be. Well, anyway, kisses,” according to The Guardian.
In another voice note from the month before Brent Sikkema was killed, Daniel Sikkema was heard saying, “Let’s see if … instead of getting divorced, I end up a widower, which would suit me much better,” according to The Guardian.
ArtForum reportsDaniel Sikkema was convicted in May of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country.
He was sentenced to life in prison on Nov. 4, per the FBI. FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said, “Sikkema’s sick scheme to murder his estranged husband has culminated in a life behind bars.”
Daniel Sikkema’s attorney, Richard Levitt, said his client plans to appeal the conviction. At trial, he said the killing had occurred as part of a robbery and Prevez had not killed the victim in a murder-for-hire plot, according to the New York Post.
Triana Prevez is awaiting trial in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, per the Post.
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