Suspect in Brent Sikkema Murder Claims Ex-Husband Offered Money for Killing of Art Dealer

Alejandro Triana Prevez, the man who confessed to the murder of New York art dealer Brent Sikkema, told Brazilian authorities Sikkema’s ex-husband, Daniel Sikkema, offered $200,000 for the killing.

According to a story published by the Daily Mail, Brazilian authorities have closed the case on the art dealer’s murder and seek to arrest Daniel Sikkema for being the “intellectual and main author” of the crime, a process that involves communications with the Unites States Department of Justice.

Triana Prevez alleged that Daniel Sikkema was unhappy with a divorce settlement with his ex-husband and claimed that Brent was spending “a lot of money on drugs, parties and prostitutes.”

Triana Prevez’s story seems to confirm an earlier report in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, which said the Brent Sikkema was troubled by his ex-husband behavior following the divorce. Daniel had reportedly denied Brent visitation rights for their son.

Triana Prevez also alleged that he was able to enter Brent’s home because Daniel had mailed him a key.

Brent Sikkema was found dead on January 15 by his friend and lawyer, Simone Nunes, having suffered multiple stab wounds around his face and chest. Video surveillance outside of Sikkema’s home showed Triana Prevez entering the home on January 14 at 3:43 a.m. and leaving just four minutes later.

Triana Prevez was arrested shortly after. At first, he told police that he was not involved in the murder, but he later confessed, alleging that the crime was instigated by a third party.

Sikkema was a well-respected art dealer, both globally and in New York City. His gallery, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., represents Jeffrey Gibson, who will be featured in the United States’s pavilion in the forthcoming Venice Biennale.