An unearthed diary may have revealed gruesome new details about the gruesome murder of legendary art dealer Brent Sikkema.
Sikkema, 75, moved to Rio de Janeiro last Christmas after two years of trying to sort out an acrimonious divorce with his estranged husband Daniel, 53.
Daniel was looking for an “unreasonable” $6 million of his reported $20 million fortune.
On January 13, Brent was stabbed to death in his two-storey holiday home, sparking a high-profile police investigation and manhunt for his killer.
On January 18, a 30-year-old delivery driver, Alejandro Triana Prevez, was arrested.
After initially denying any involvement in the crime, the Cuban immigrant eventually admitted to police that he killed Sikkema, claiming Brent’s ex Daniel, 53, had hired him to do it.
Brent Sikkema (right) moved to Rio de Janeiro last Christmas after two years of trying to sort out an acrimonious divorce with his estranged husband Daniel Sikkema (left)
Murder suspect Alejandro Triana Prevez’s entrees reveal shocking story of alleged ‘murder-for-hire’ plot by Sikkema’s estranged husband
On January 13, Brent was seen entering his apartment for the last time
Daniel has denied the allegations, telling the Wall Street Journal in a statement: “It is my hope that, based on evidence and not false accusations, what really happened will come to light.”
Now shocking details from Prevez’s handwritten prison diary: seen by the Wall Street Journalreveal the brutal final moments before Brent was stabbed eighteen times, including in the chest and face, in his own bed.
‘He thinks [Brent] sleeping with his mouth open, his naked body covered in silk sheets, breathing quietly’ Prevez wrote about the moment he entered Brent’s bedroom in Rio, ready to take his life.
“He moves quietly to the side of the bed, trying to breathe calmly, but failing,” he wrote, describing himself in the third person.
Prevez explained how he used a knife from Brent’s kitchen to kill the millionaire art dealer.
‘He closes his eyes, throws himself at the victim and lets the knife go in.’
“The fight begins, he removes the knife with tears in his eyes and stabs three more times in an attempt to stop him from moving, an image that will never be erased,” the poignant diary entry reads.
Prevez wrote in the report that he stabbed Brent four times, apologized and covered the body with a sheet before washing the knife and leaving the premises.
The legendary art dealer had amassed a fortune of $20 million
Prevez explained how he used a knife from Brent’s kitchen to kill the millionaire art dealer
However, an autopsy revealed that Brent had been stabbed eighteen times, mainly in the chest and face.
Prevez, who taught at a polytechnic in Havana, met Brent and Daniel, who is also Cuban, when he was hired to manage a property they owned in Havana.
After several years in the role, he moved to Sao Paulo but contacted Daniel again in 2022, the Journal reported.
The friends decided to catch up, a meeting at which Daniel allegedly offered Prevez $200,000 and a place to stay in Rio in exchange for killing Brent, according to Prevez’s later police statement.
Prevez’s diary shows that the former teacher had moved to Brazil in September 2022 in the hope of living a better life.
However, he was seduced by Daniel’s alleged offer, the diary claims, after becoming enraged by Daniel’s stories of Brent’s bad behavior in the marriage.
Daniel had accused his wife of cheating, out-of-control drug use, including leaving “bowls of cocaine” around their homes, and of planning to take a gun to JFK airport to “kill people,” reported theJournal.
Prevez wrote in his diary that he became particularly angry when he heard Daniel recall how their son Lucas was left in tears when he heard Brent with an escort in the next hotel room during a trip to Paris.
After initially denying any involvement in the crime, Prevez eventually admitted to police that he killed Sikkema, claiming Brent’s ex Daniel, 53, hired him to do it.
The apartment where Brent Sikkema was found was stabbed to death
Daniel’s attorneys confirmed to the Journal that their client shared this story with Prevez, as he says.
However, Prevez claims that he first told Daniel that he would “think about the proposal,” according to his police statement.
Prevez told police that he was then sent sums of money from an account in New York, in amounts ranging from $300 to $500 at the time.
Brazilian police later linked the transfers to an account registered to Daniel’s cellphone, the Journal reported.
Daniel’s lawyers claim the money was back-pay for Prevez’s previous work in Havana.
Prevez claims Daniel then sent him a key to the Rio property and asked him to buy a mobile phone so they could communicate via WhatsApp.
Prevez told investigators he traveled to Rio twice in 2023, once to plan the murder and again in December when he planned to commit it.
However, he became nervous and backed out of the plan.
The famous art dealer had many notable connections, including pictured here with Michelle Obama
Brent and David had been arguing about a divorce settlement for two years
In response, Daniel allegedly told Prevez “if you don’t want to do this, don’t do it, but forget that I exist,” according to Prevez’s police report.
After this conversation, the money would no longer come from New York and Prevez started delivering goods.
However, he claimed that he was not making enough money to support his family in Cuba, so he contacted Daniel again.
Prevez says he agreed to return to Rio and kill Brent after Christmas, while Daniel is said to have confirmed his man would be in town.
According to police, Prevez parked his borrowed Fiat Palio on Brent Street at 2.30pm on January 13 with a crossbow in the back seat.
‘It’s like a gun, but you only get one shot. But most importantly, it is silent,” Prevez wrote in his diary about the potential murder weapon.
However, he decided not to take it inside with him as he entered Brent’s bedroom and brutally stabbed him to death.
Shortly after Prevez left Brent’s house, he called a Brazilian WhatsApp number allegedly registered to a woman Daniel knew in Brazil.
Prevez parked his borrowed Fiat Palio near Brent on Jan. 13 at 2:30 p.m. with a crossbow in the backseat, police said
However, police say the call came from an IP address in New York.
The next morning, Prevez claims he received a call back from the same number and it was Daniel on the line.
Prevez claims he asked him to delete their call history, but he didn’t do so.
Lawyers for Daniel deny that he spoke to Prevez after Brent’s death.
Prevez said he returned his rented Fiat car in Sao Palo and bought another one with money sent by Daniel.
He planned to escape to Paraguay, but only made it to Minas Gerais, where he was arrested by police at a gas station.
Under Brazilian law, Prevez could receive a lesser sentence if he acted on behalf of someone else.
Daniel claims that this may be the reason he is encouraged to accuse him of paying for the murder.
Brazilian police indicted both Daniel and Prevez on February 7 on charges of “qualified murder.”
Brent’s murder led to a high-profile police investigation and a manhunt for his killer
They claim that Daniel would profit from Brent’s death.
In fact, under New York law, Daniel could be entitled to one-third of Brent’s net worth as a surviving spouse.
This is likely more than he would have received in a divorce settlement, which would have been only half of all assets accumulated during the marriage and much of Brent’s $20 million fortune was amassed before the couple met.
Daniel’s lawyers have indicated that they intend to claim his share as surviving spouse.
Police have issued a preventive arrest warrant for Daniel following the complaint filed with Interpol, the Journal reports.
Brazilian authorities are also in discussions with their American counterparts to determine whether the US will extradite Daniel or continue its own investigation.
On March 20, the FBI arrested Daniel for alleged passport fraud after he attempted to file a new U.S. passport application for his son Lucas when the executor of Brent’s will blocked his access to it.
Daniel must now wear an electronic ankle bracelet and wait for the authorities’ decision.