A celebrated New York art dealer was stabbed 18 times inside his luxurious Rio de Janeiro townhouse in what prosecutors now describe as a calculated murder-for-hire plot allegedly orchestrated by the victim’s estranged husband during a bitter divorce battle filled with money disputes, custody fights and chilling threats about death.

The killing of renowned gallery owner Brent Sikkema shocked the international art world when he was found murdered in his Brazil home in January 2024. But the disturbing details emerging from federal court proceedings and civil lawsuits have transformed the case into something even darker — a story prosecutors say involved obsession, resentment, financial desperation and a deadly conspiracy that may have been brewing for months.

Authorities allege that in the predawn hours of Jan. 14, alleged hitman Alejandro Triana Prevez quietly entered Sikkema’s townhouse before making his way upstairs armed with a kitchen knife.

According to court documents, Sikkema, 75, was attacked near the doorway of his bedroom after apparently realizing someone had entered the home. Prosecutors say a violent struggle followed as the respected art dealer fought desperately for his life.

But investigators allege the attack quickly turned brutally one-sided.

Prevez allegedly forced Sikkema onto the bed before repeatedly plunging the knife into his face and body, stabbing him 18 times in total. Court filings say the attacker then covered the victim’s body with a pillow and blanket before fleeing the townhouse.

The horrific murder stunned both New York and Brazil, particularly because of Sikkema’s enormous influence in the contemporary art world.

For decades, Brent Sikkema was considered one of the most respected gallerists in America. He founded Wooster Gardens in Manhattan’s SoHo district in the early 1990s before later relocating and expanding the gallery into what became Sikkema Jenkins & Co., eventually renamed Sikkema Malloy Jenkins.

The gallery earned widespread praise for championing diverse artists long before diversity became a central focus in elite art spaces. Over the years, Sikkema represented major names including Kara Walker, Vik Muniz and Jeffrey Gibson, the first Indigenous artist selected to represent the United States solo at the Venice Biennale.

Friends and colleagues described Sikkema as deeply passionate about art and mentorship, helping launch the careers of numerous contemporary artists whose work later gained international acclaim.

His violent death sent shockwaves through the art community.

But the case took an even more startling turn just days later when Brazilian authorities arrested Alejandro Triana Prevez.

According to prosecutors, Prevez allegedly confessed within weeks and claimed the killing had been arranged by Sikkema’s estranged husband, Daniel Sikkema.

That accusation triggered an international investigation culminating in a murder-for-hire trial in Manhattan federal court, where prosecutors laid out a disturbing portrait of a marriage that allegedly spiraled into hatred and deadly revenge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Pavlis told jurors the evidence would show Daniel Sikkema orchestrated the killing amid a bitter divorce battle centered on money, custody disputes and resentment.

“Brent Sikkema was brutally murdered,” Pavlis told the jury during opening statements. “A hitman snuck into his home and stabbed Brent over and over again.”

Prosecutors allege that immediately after the killing, Prevez contacted Daniel Sikkema.

“When the job was done, the hitman immediately made a phone call,” Pavlis said. “Who did he call? He called the defendant.”

Daniel Sikkema has denied all allegations and maintains he had nothing to do with the murder.

Defense attorney Florian Miedel argued there is no direct evidence proving Daniel hired anyone to kill his husband.

“No one is going to come into this courtroom and say, ‘I have actual knowledge that Daniel hired Alejandro to kill Brent,’” Miedel told jurors.

Still, prosecutors presented numerous messages, recordings and voice notes they say reveal Daniel Sikkema’s hostility toward his estranged husband in the months leading up to the killing.

One WhatsApp message allegedly showed Daniel demanding millions of dollars.

“I want you to transfer $6 million to my account,” prosecutors said he wrote in May 2023, while also insisting Brent owed him alimony and child support.

Even more troubling were alleged voice recordings prosecutors say captured Daniel discussing Brent’s death repeatedly during the divorce proceedings.

“I’m still fighting with this old bastard who won’t die,” Daniel allegedly said in one July 2023 voice message introduced in court.

In another recording, prosecutors say he complained about Brent cutting off financial support before adding, “This old bastard who won’t die soon enough.”

Then, less than one month before the murder, Daniel allegedly recorded another ominous message.

“We are in the divorce process, which never ends,” he allegedly said. “Let’s see if instead of getting divorced, I end up a widower, which would suit me much better.”

Prosecutors argue those statements reflected far more than emotional frustration.

They say Daniel spent months plotting Brent’s death and allegedly paid more than $10,000 through intermediaries to finance the murder.

Court filings reveal the relationship between Brent and Daniel had deteriorated dramatically in recent years.

The two reportedly met nearly two decades ago in Miami and eventually built a family together. Daniel, originally from Cuba, moved into Brent’s New York apartment, and the couple later welcomed a son through surrogacy before marrying in 2013.

But according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Brent’s estate, tensions escalated after Daniel allegedly proposed opening the marriage and relocating the family to Cuba.

When Brent rejected those ideas, the relationship allegedly began unraveling rapidly.

Daniel filed for divorce in 2022, and the split soon became increasingly hostile, according to court documents.

The lawsuit alleges Daniel attempted to withdraw $200,000 using a forged check and later disappeared with the couple’s son without telling Brent where they were going.

For weeks, Brent reportedly had no idea where his child was.

Daniel and the child eventually resurfaced in New York, allegedly because Daniel needed financial assistance.

The lawsuit further claims Daniel repeatedly attempted to gain leverage in the custody battle by making false accusations against Brent.

Among the most shocking allegations, court documents say Daniel falsely reported that Brent planned to carry out a mass shooting at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Authorities arrested Brent and detained him for nearly a full day before determining the allegations were baseless.

The lawsuit describes the incident as deeply humiliating and emotionally devastating for the prominent art dealer.

Prosecutors now argue those escalating conflicts eventually culminated in murder.

According to investigators, Daniel allegedly recruited Prevez, who had previously worked as his security guard.

Defense attorneys, however, insist prosecutors are building a case based largely on circumstantial evidence and emotionally charged statements made during an ugly divorce.

Miedel argued that people often say cruel or exaggerated things during contentious breakups without actually intending violence.

“Life can be messy,” he told jurors.

He also suggested Prevez may have had independent financial motives, claiming the alleged hitman was obsessed with obtaining money to buy a house in Spain for a woman he loved.

Meanwhile, the art world continues grappling with the horrifying loss of Brent Sikkema, whose gallery helped shape contemporary American art for more than three decades.

Friends and artists who knew him described him as visionary, compassionate and deeply committed to supporting emerging talent.

Many have struggled to reconcile that legacy with the brutal violence prosecutors say ended his life.

As the murder-for-hire case moves forward, jurors will ultimately decide whether the evidence proves Daniel Sikkema crossed the line from bitter spouse to orchestrator of a calculated assassination.

For now, the disturbing allegations have exposed the collapse of a once-prominent marriage into accusations of greed, betrayal and a killing so violent it continues to haunt both the art community and the courtroom where the case is unfolding.