Trial of Former Prostitute Accused of Hiring Hitman
In a courtroom in Manhattan, a former prostitute, Daniel Carrera Sikkema, sat emotionless as prosecutors presented disturbing images of her estranged husband’s corpse. The trial commenced with the graphic photos of Brent Sikkema, who was brutally murdered in January 2024, showing multiple stab wounds inflicted in their Rio de Janeiro home.
Sikkema, now in his mid-50s, has been charged with hiring Alejandro Triana Preves, a Cuban national, to enter Brent’s apartment and fatally attack him while they were embroiled in a contentious divorce and custody dispute over their young son.
According to federal prosecutors, “Brent Sikkema was brutally murdered in 2024,” stressed Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Pavlis. He outlined how the hitman entered Brent’s home in Brazil, armed with a knife, and stabbed him repeatedly.
What followed was notable. Pavlis maintained that the assailant immediately phoned Sikkema after the act, emphasizing, “Who did he call? He called the man who hired and paid him to kill Brent.”
The prosecutor argued that Sikkema orchestrated the murder from afar, believing she could gain financially by eliminating her husband instead of merely separating from him. “He didn’t want a divorce. He wanted Brent dead,” Pavlis reiterated.
Prosecutors alleged that Sikkema sent thousands of dollars to Preves and others involved through various intermediaries, including her housekeeper, her daughter, and even a handyman.
“The defendant paid the hitman every step of the way,” Pavlis remarked.
Authorities reported that Preves was arrested shortly after the murder and confessed to killing Brent with 18 stabbing wounds to the face, chest, and throat.
During the trial, prosecutors referenced audio messages that Sikkema supposedly sent to friends amid her divorce. In one recording, she allegedly said, “This won’t end until this man dies.” Another message reportedly expresses her frustration: “I’m still fighting this bastard who won’t die.”
On the other hand, Sikkema’s attorney, Florian Miedel, confirmed there was no disagreement that Preves was the one who stabbed Brent but contended that there’s no solid proof tying Sikkema to the murder.
“Daniel did not hire Alejandro to kill Brent,” Miedel asserted, stating that no witnesses would come forward to directly claim that Sikkema had orchestrated the crime.
The trial’s initial witness, a family friend named Angela Liriano, testified about conversations with Sikkema, expressing discontent over financial matters during their divorce. “He said he didn’t feel like he was getting enough money,” she recalled, noting Sikkema’s demands for increased funds.
Liriano also recounted a shocking phone call with Sikkema when Brent was supposedly in Brazil, where Sikkema ominously stated he wanted Brent dead. “I was in shock,” she admitted.
