Ex-husband of gallerist Brent Sikkema convicted of orchestrating murder

Daniel Garcia Carrera, the ex-husband of New York gallerist Brent Sikkema, was convicted by a federal jury on May 22, 2025, for hiring a hitman to murder Sikkema. Sikkema, 75, was stabbed 18 times with a kitchen knife on January 14, 2024, in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, where he was vacationing at the couple's second home. The Wall Street Journal reported that Garcia Carrera allegedly hired Cuban national Alejandro Triana Prevez, a resident of Brazil, to commit the murder during a contentious divorce. Garcia Carrera remained in New York with the couple's son Lucas, now 15, at the time of the killing. Assistant Federal Prosecutor Meredith Foster stated in her closing argument that Garcia Carrera "ordered and paid for the murder of her husband, and also manipulated friends for this purpose." Garcia Carrera was found guilty on three counts related to hiring and paying the hitman. Sentencing is scheduled for the following week, with prosecutors seeking life imprisonment. Fifteen days after the murder, Triana Prevez confessed, claiming Garcia Carrera paid him $9,000. The defense argues the payment was for past work. Garcia Carrera showed no emotion when the verdict was read. Triana Prevez remains detained in Brazil awaiting trial. His lawyer commented, "Mr. Alejandro Triana believes the sentence did justice, as Mr. Daniel was the mastermind of the crime and repeatedly threatened him to carry out the murder."