Daniel Sikkema, Murder-for-Hire, New York 2024

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New York Man Charged in Estranged Husband’s Murder for Hire

A New York man has been arrested and charged with murder-for-hire in connection with the death of his estranged husband, who was killed in Rio de Janeiro in January 2024. Daniel Sikkema, 54, of New York City, was arrested and charged in a superseding indictment unsealed on an unspecified date.

According to court documents, Sikkema offered another individual (CC-1) money in exchange for killing his estranged husband, with whom he was involved in contentious divorce proceedings. The victim, a U.S. citizen, had amassed a multi-million-dollar estate and often traveled to Rio de Janeiro, where he maintained property.

In advance of the victim’s murder, Sikkema sent CC-1 money using a stolen identity and intermediaries in an effort to conceal the source of the payments. The victim was murdered by CC-1 on January 14, 2024.

Sikkema is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a murder-for-hire, one count of murder-for-hire, one count of conspiracy to murder a person in a foreign country, and one count of passport fraud. If convicted, he faces a mandatory penalty of life in prison or death.

Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon, U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon, and Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy made the announcement. The FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Foster and Remy Grosbard are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The defendant’s real full name is Daniel Sikkema, and he is a resident of New York City, New York. The exact criminal charges against him are conspiracy to commit a murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to murder a person in a foreign country, and passport fraud. The crime occurred on January 14, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sentence or outcome is not yet determined, as the case is ongoing.

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