October 29, 2007
Queens Dentist Killed at Playground Near School
An orthodontist was killed while taking his 5-year-old daughter to the Annadale playground at Flushing Meadows Park. Around 11AM, Daniel Malakov was shot in the chest twice by someone who witnesses say was wearing a black fleece.
Malakov had been taking his daughter to meet his ex-wife, and his family believes their divorce may be related to his killing. Malakov had won custody of little Michelleka last week "after a brutal court battle," according to the Daily News, and had frequently used the playground near a public school as a meeting place with his ex, Marina Borukhova. Borukhova, a doctor at North Shore University Hospital, tried to give Malakov CPR, but he was pronounced dead at Northshore Forest Hills Hospital. Borukhova was questioned by police for hours and told reporters, "I had enough for the whole day and even for the rest of my life."
His 15-year-old nephew spoke to the NY Times about his uncle's concern for his daughter's well-being, "My mom said to him, ‘Congratulations, you must be so happy, you have custody of your daughter now.' He said ‘No, I love her, but I really didn’t want it to happen like this. A daughter should have a father and a mother in her life. She shouldn’t have to go through this.’” His family also said he was always willing to let his ex see their daughter.
Michelleka was taken into custody by the Administration for Children's Services; it's unclear when Borukhova will see her. And patients and neighbors were shocked. One told the NY Times that Malakov would still work on patients even if they couldn't pay.
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Jen, I might be picky, but from a journalistic perspective, what difference does it make that this man was "well-like," when he was murdered in front of his kid? This is a tragedy and the story will, no doubt, become more complicated as the tragedy of a custody battle unfolds. Who were the two guys seen running from the scene? Did they have any association with the doctor's ex-wife?
famdoc, thanks for your question. Perhaps the well-liked observation would do better a little lower in the article; I thought it was interesting, because the killing doesn't seem motivated by another grudge (or a robbery).
famdoc, I think the term "well liked" might be shorthand to connotate that the man was a legit doctor and not a back-alley scumbag, like the guy who dumped a 71-year-old woman on a stoop the other day. The fact that he was "well liked" differentiates the crime from one that might have stemmed from a professional dispute and centers the focus of the crime on a possible custody dispute.
It's similar to the way that a newspaper story on a high school student's murder usually says "honor student" in the headline.
You are right Peter. How many times do you hear in the news, "The drop out punk ass piece of shit got what he deserved." His mother and assumed father where horrified that this should happen to the youngest of their ten children where their last names don't match.
Unibrow killings are up this year.