Nov 6, 2007 10:01 am US/Eastern
Ex-Wife Of Slain Dentist Testifies In Queens Court
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Police are investigating the shooting death of Queens dentist Daniel Malakov.
CBS
The ex-wife of an orthodontist shot to death at a Queens playground testified at a hearing that he physically abused her.
Dr. Mazoltuv Borukhova testified in Queens Family Court on Monday about her broken marriage and the custody battle she had lost to her spouse, Dr. Daniel Malakov, over their 5-year-old daughter, Michelle.
The hearing was aimed at determining who gets custody of the couple's girl now that Malakov is dead.
The child was placed in foster care following the Oct. 28 slaying of her father. There have been no arrests in the killing.
Borukhova, under questioning from her attorney, Florence M. Fass, said that her husband at one time had ordered her to "clean the house with my tongue."
A lawyer who represented the 34-year-old shooting victim in his divorce says his client's family denies Borukhova's accusations of abuse.
"Essentially, Ms. Borukhova has time and time again fabricated charges against Mr. Malakov which have been proven to be not true," said attorney Nathan Pinkhasov.
State Sen. Diane J. Savino also testified Monday about an Oct. 18 encounter with Borukhova's sisters. Staff members had arranged the meeting with the state senator, who is a former child services caseworker.
The sisters raised a hypothetical scenario in that meeting, Savino testified. They wondered what would happen if Malakov could no longer care for Michelle.
"What if something happens? What if he can't take care of her?" said Savino, quoting one of Borkhuova's sisters.
The senator said that, barring any other circumstances, it would probably be in the best interest of the child to be sent to stay with her mother.
Malakov was killed while taking his daughter to see her mother at a Queens playground.
As the child went to greet her mother, a gunman wearing a black leather jacket and a dark hat approached and fired three rounds into Malakov's chest.
The gunman then fled.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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