A federal jury in Manhattan has convicted Daniel Sikkema in connection with the killing of prominent New York art dealer Brent Sikkema.

According to reports, Daniel Sikkema was found guilty on Friday in a Manhattan federal court over charges tied to a murder-for-hire scheme that prosecutors said resulted in Brent Sikkema’s death at his vacation home in Rio de Janeiro in 2024.

The case shocked the international art community after Brent Sikkema, founder of the well-known Chelsea gallery Sikkema Jenkins & Co., was discovered stabbed to death at the age of 75.

Federal prosecutors argued that Daniel Sikkema arranged the killing from New York during an increasingly bitter divorce and custody battle involving the couple’s son. Investigators said the dispute over finances and family matters played a central role in the alleged murder plot.

The high-profile trial drew widespread attention from both the legal and art worlds due to Brent Sikkema’s influence in contemporary art. His gallery represented numerous internationally recognized artists and played a significant role in New York’s modern art scene.

The conviction marks a major development in the case, although sentencing details have not yet been announced.