Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Queens Dentist Killed at Playground Near School
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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.
Tagged
children
crime
daily news
Daniel Malakov
divorce
flushing
flushing meadows
flushing meadows park
forest hills
hospital
news
north shore
ny times
playground
police
public school
queens
university
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .