The executor of the estate of a murdered Chelsea art dealer is suing the victim's estranged spouse, accusing him of being the greedy “mastermind” behind the murder.
Brent Sikkema was fatally stabbed in January 2024 by an intruder in the bedroom of his winter home in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian authorities quickly pinned the blame on Sikkema's former man, Daniel García Carrera.
Investigators believe Carrera killed Sikkema for money and full custody of his son.
Brazilian authorities allegedly paid Carrera $200,000 to kill his spouse.
The motive was cold hard cash, according to attorney James Th Deaver, who is acting as executor of Brent Sikkema's estate and is suing to ensure funds from the estate go to Sikkema's son.
As the surviving spouse, Carrera, 54, will 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 shared custody of their 14-year-old son, were going through a contentious divorce in 2019 after asking if they could have an open marriage.
But Sikkema, 75, who rubbed elbows with Michelle Obama in 2016, dissented and ultimately inherited her husband from the roughly $4 million estate in May 2022.
Sikkema, who owned Chelsea's Sikkema Jenkins Gallery, represented artists such as painter Kara Walker and photographer Vikumuniz, but after their relationship broke down, Sikkema decided that Carrera would do him no harm. I was afraid.
Things quickly went from bad to worse.
Carrera allegedly tried to obtain full custody of her son in 2022 by complaining about the sikkema to the city administration for children's services and about the sikkema to the family court. Both denied his request.
He was also arrested for claiming that Brent was “planning to commit mass murder at John F. Kennedy International Airport,” according to the lawsuit.
Sikkema was released immediately without any charges.
A divorce was in progress when Cuban national Alejandro Triana Prives allegedly entered the Sikkema townhouse on January 15, 2024, according to authorities and court documents.
Carrera once employed plebes as native Cuban guards.
Sikkema had a hard time 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 Plebes near the upstairs bedroom door, at which time Brent sustained injuries to his body while fighting for his life,” Deaver filed. He spoke at
Sikkema was stabbed a total of 18 times in the face and chest.
Prevez is said to have considered killing Sikkema with a crossbow, but decided against it.
Carrera has been under house arrest at his Kips Bay Home since April, when federal prosecutors accused him of lying on his son's passport application.
According to court documents, Deaver will raise the boy if Carrera is convicted in Brazil.
If convicted, he faces 12 to 40 years in prison.
According to the New York filing, Carrera is participating remotely in the Brazilian criminal case and has refused to testify.
Deaver is seeking unspecified damages on behalf of LS, and Currera's attorney declined to comment, saying he had never seen any wrongful death behavior.
