Police suspect that the daytime murder of a Queens orthodontist may be related to the custody of his daughter. A long and bitter divorce battle had granted temporary custody of five-year-old Michelle to 34-year-old orthodontist Daniel Malakov. The doctor was dropping his daughter off to his ex-wife when someone shot him three times point blank in the chest.
When Malakov arrived with his daughter at the Annadale Playground in Rego Park, his daughter ran to greet her mother, Dr. Mazoltuv (Marina) Borukhova, a doctor at a Long Island hospital. An unidentified stranger then approached the orthodontist and shot him. The murderer, described as wearing a dark jacket, ran from the scene. No shell casings were recovered from the scene, meaning that the killer paused to pick them up or used a revolver pistol that doesn't eject shells, but the silencer, made out of a bleach bottle was dropped at the crime scene.
Burokhova didn't attend his funeral, and his parents and relatives are accusing her and her relatives of orchestrating his murder. According to Newsday, "Police sources said detectives have not ruled [Burokhova] out as a suspect, but note that she tried to save Malakov by performing CPR." Police are investigating the ex-wife's relatives, who allegedly threatened Malakov after he gained custody of Michelle.
The former couple's divorce lawyers confirmed to the NY Times that their divorce was extremely acrimonious, calling the case "unpleasant" and "most contentious." And their child is currently in the custody of the Administration for Children's Services.
