Sao Paolo Police
The executor of a murdered Chelsea art dealer’s estate is suing the victim’s estranged spouse, accusing him of being the greedy “mastermind” behind the slaying.
Brent Sikkema was fatally stabbed in the bedroom of his winter home in Rio de Janeiro in January 2024 by an intruder — and Brazilian authorities quickly pinned the blame on Sikkema’s ex, former male prostitute Daniel Garcia Carrera.
Carrera killed Sikkema for the money and for full custody of their son, investigators believe.
Brazilian authorities have said Carrera allegedly paid $200,000 to have his spouse murdered.
The motive was cold hard cash, according to attorney James T.H. Deaver, who is serving as executor of Brent Sikkema’s estate and is suing to ensure any funds from the estate go to Sikkema’s son — not his ex.
As a surviving spouse, Carrera, 54, would receive more money “than he would likely receive in a divorce settlement,” according to the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.
The couple, who married in 2013 and share custody of a 14-year-old son, had been going through a contentious divorce after the much younger Carrera asked if they could have an open marriage in 2019.
But Sikkema, 75, who rubbed elbows with Michelle Obama in 2016, disagreed and eventually disinherited his husband in May 2022 from his roughly $4 million estate.
Sikkema, who owned the Sikkema Jenkins Gallery in Chelsea where he repped artists such as painter Kara Walker and photographer Vik Muniz, feared Carrera would physically harm him as their relationship broke down, Deaver contended in the legal filing.
Things quickly went from bad to worse.
Carrera allegedly tried to get full custody of the son by complaining in 2022 about Sikkema to the city Administration for Children’s Services, and Family Court, both of which denied his requests.
He also got Sikkema arrested by claiming Brent “planned to commit mass murder at John F. Kennedy International Airport,” according to the lawsuit.
Sikkema was quickly released without charges.
The divorce was ongoing when Cuban national Alejandro Triana Prévez allegedly entered Sikkema’s townhouse on Jan. 15, 2024, according to authorities and court papers.
Carrera had once hired Prevez as a security guard in their native Cuba.
Sikkema struggled with his killer, Deaver said in court papers, citing a Brazilian expert who examined the crime scene.
“There was an initial altercation between Brent and Prevez near the door of the upstairs bedroom, at which time Brent suffered wounds to his body while fighting for his life,” Deaver said in the filing.
Sikkema was stabbed a total of 18 times in the face and chest.
Prevez allegedly considered killing Sikkema with a crossbow but decided against it.
Carrera has been under house arrest in his Kips Bay home since April, when federal prosecutors accused him of lying on a passport application for the son.
Deaver will raise the boy, identified only as L.S., if Carrera is found guilty in Brazil, according to court papers.
He faces 12 to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Carrera has been participating in the Brazilian criminal case remotely and has refused to testify, according to the New York filing.
Deaver is seeking unspecified damages on behalf of L.S. An attorney for Carrera said he hadn’t seen the wrongful death action, and declined comment.