Daniel Sikkema, 54, was indicted on murder-for-hire and related charges in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the death of Brent Sikkema.

The art dealer and co-founder of Manhattan-based Sikkema Jenkins & Co, 75, was found stabbed to death inside his Rio de Janeiro townhouse in January 2024, according to the US Attorney's Office.

An investigation found that the couple was in the midst of contentious divorce proceedings when Daniel Sikkema hired a hit man to kill his ex-lover, according to an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York.

Brent Sikkema, a US citizen, had amassed a multi-million-dollar estate and regularly traveled to Brazil. Sometime in the early hours of Jan. 14, 2024, the contract killer, referred to only as "co-conspirator 1," snuck into his townhouse and stabbed him repeatedly, killing him, prosecutors said.

After the murder, Daniel and the co-conspirator communicated multiple times, including through a Brazilian phone number that Daniel instructed him to set up, according to investigators. He allegedly made payments totaling approximately $5,000 to facilitate the crime and promised additional payments.

The alleged murderer was arrested days later by Brazilian authorities.

In court Tuesday, Daniel Sikkema pleaded not guilty to the following counts:

If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty.

Richard Levitt, Sikkema's attorney, maintained his client's innocence, telling The New York Times, "Now as always, Mr. Sikkema looks forward to his complete vindication at trial."

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