A doctor from Queens was arrested on Thursday night in the killing of her estranged husband, a dentist who was gunned down in October at a playground in front of their 4-year-old daughter, the police said.
The doctor, Mazoltuv Borukhova, 34, who was a suspect from the beginning, was taken into custody at her home without incident, the police said. She faces murder and conspiracy charges. Through her lawyer, Dr. Borukhova, also known as Marina, had previously denied involvement. The lawyer, Florence Fass, could not be reached for comment after the arrest.
The couple had been involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle of the girl — a feud that relatives continued after the killing.
Dr. Borukhova, an internist, was present when her husband, Dr. Daniel Malakov, 34, an orthodontist, was shot three times in the chest by a man on the morning of Oct. 28 at the Annadale playground. Dr. Malakov had gone there so he could turn over their daughter, Michelle, for a visit with her mother.
Dr. Malakov had won temporary custody of the daughter in court after complaining that his wife had thwarted his visitation rights. While contesting that decision, she turned the girl over to him six days before the shooting.
At Dr. Malakov’s funeral, his relatives angrily accused Dr. Borukhova of involvement in the killing.
At Dr. Malakov’s funeral, his relatives angrily accused Dr. Borukhova of involvement in the killing.
The killing angered not only the couple’s extended families but also their broader community of fellow Bukharan Jews from Uzbekistan who had settled in Queens.
Investigators said that they had suspected the wife’s involvement because of the marital infighting and other factors.
The killing appeared to be a contract killing and not motivated by robbery or something else, and Dr. Borukhova knew that her husband would be at the playground at the appointed time, the police said. By being there she took the role of an apparent bystander seen by witnesses in the playground, the police said.
The case began to unravel when investigators said they found a homemade silencer, crudely fashioned from a bleach bottle and duct tape, hidden in leaves at the scene.
That silencer revealed fingerprints matching those of Mikhail Mallayev, 50, an Uzbek immigrant who lives near Atlanta and is related by marriage to a sister of Dr. Borukhova, the police said. His prints were on file because of a 1994 fare evasion arrest in New York, the police said.
In November, the police arrested Mr. Mallayev on murder charges. Investigation uncovered dozens of phone calls between him and Dr. Borukhova in the week before the shooting, though he insisted that his calls sought medical advice for his wife, according to court papers.
When Mr. Mallayev was arraigned, the prosecutors said that he had been “acting in concert with another person” in the shootings, but they did not identify the second suspect. More details are expected to be released on Friday at a news conference by Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
While Dr. Borukhova was in custody at the 112th Precinct station house, her slain husband’s relatives stood outside chanting, “Justice for Daniel.” His mother, Malaka, voiced relief at the arrest but said it did not bring back her son. “How are you going to be happy?” she said. “Where is my son, so youthful, so happy, so energetic?”
Yuri Normatov, 17, a nephew of Dr. Malakov, said, “I can’t do anything about my uncle, but at least knowing the person who conspired to do this is going to be behind bars is a relief.”
He said of Dr. Borukhova, “Now she’ll never see her child again.”
He said of Dr. Borukhova, “Now she’ll never see her child again.”
After the killing, the daughter was placed in the care of the city’s Administration for Children’s Services. Dr. Borukhova, who works at North Shore University Hospital, protested and sought custody.
Next the girl was placed with the father’s relatives, but Dr. Borukhova said her daughter had complained of being hit by a paternal grandmother. The grandmother denied it, but the girl was transferred to foster care.
In Queens Family Court a week after the murder, Dr. Borukhova cried and said that her husband had abused her on her birthday, Nov. 10, 2003. “He physically abused me,” she said. “He said in order for me to stay with him, I have to clean the house with my tongue. He punched me all night. I couldn’t stand it anymore. It was the first time he started beating me up. I left.”
Three days later, the slain dentist’s brother testified that after Dr. Malakov had won custody of the daughter, Dr. Borukhova’s mother had threatened the Malakovs: “You will all pay for this.”
The court eventually denied custody to Dr. Borukhova, keeping the girl in foster care.
Daryl Khan contributed reporting.
Original Article-
3 comments:
The black widow was stung by Judge Sidney Strauss and had her custody reversed to the husband.
That ticked off the black widow and she put out a hit on hubby.
The Yellowstone Boulevard kiddy park hit was done in full view and people swore they saw nothing.
No one brought Strauss to justice.
Please, bring Sidney Strauss to justice before he is certified. He has messed up many lives brought before him when people go to get a contested divorce with children and one or more of the parties in the case have access to money, he drains them in every way possible.
I also have been denied justice from this loser strauss. My ex lied to him,I proved and she admitted to having two social security numbers and hid them from strauss. He did nothing about her hiding assets, order me to pay child support above what the law allows. He even awarded her non-marital assets of mine.
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