Prosecutor claims wife of slain dentist Daniel Malakov turned daughter against him

By Nicole Bode and Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, March 4th 2009, 2:38 PM

A Queens prosecutor on Wednesday accused the ex-wife of murdered dentist Daniel Malakov of poisoning their daughter against him.

"She would cry when you took her to the visits with Daniel," Assistant District Attorney Brad Leventhal said. "What did you tell her about her father that made her not want to walk into a visitation room to see him?"

"I didn't say anything," Mazoltuv Borukhova answered.

Not satisfied, Leventhal bored in.

"You wanted to prevent your husband from having a relationship with his little girl and he would not stand for that" said Leventhal.

"No," Borukhova replied.

Leventhal went on the attack a day after Borukhova tearfully denied hiring a hit man to gun down Malakov on a Queens playground.

Borukhova, who appeared to be wearing the same outfit from Tuesday and looked tired and drawn, did not cry this time.

The prosecutor is trying to prove Malakov's wife had him murdered so she could regain custody of their now 6-year-old daughter, Michelle.

Borukhova, 35, and accused gunman Mikhail Mallayev, 51, deny involvement in the October 2007 murder.

Noting that a judge awarded custody of Michelle to her dad, Leventhal asked Borukhova if she believed the judicial system was stacked against her.

"Did you think the judicial system was corrupt?" asked Leventhal.

"I thought it was a possibility," Borukhova answered. "But I did not have any proof."

Borukhova admitted she was "not happy" that Malakov got custody of Michelle.

"To say that you weren't happy was an understatement," the prosecutor said . "You were beside yourself. You had no faith in the justice system."

"I thought the judge was mislead," Borukhova said.

Malakov, 34, was shot dead while delivering Michelle for a supervised visit with her mother. Mallayev is related to Borukhova.

In earlier testimony, Borukhova described meeting her husband in the park and how Michelle ran into her arms. She also said tried to revive her mortally wounded husband.

Missing from her account was any description of the gunman, the shooting - or even hearing a gunshot.

Borukhova also claimed Malakov's parents "never wanted us to get married" even though both families are Bukharian Jews who emigrated from Uzbekistan.

Absent from the courtroom was Michelle, who is living with a paternal uncle in Forest Hills and not expected to testify.

Prosecutor claims wife of slain dentist Daniel Malakov turned daughter against him

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