The ex-wife of a slain Queens orthodontist Daniel Malakov – gunned down in October in front of his four-year-old daughter – was arrested today on charges that she had him killed, police said.
Dr. Mazoltuv Borukhova was taken into custody at the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills and charged with murder in the first degree and conspiracy yesterday after being picked up “without incident” at her home, according to police spokesman Paul Browne.
Borukhova’s distant cousin, Mikhail Mallayev, was arrested on Jan 16 and charged with murder after detectives matched fingerprints on a homemade silencer left at the scene of the crime with those from a fare evasion arrest from 1994.
The strongest evidence against Borukhova is a slew of phone calls between her and Mallayev leading up to the October 28 shooting of Malakov in a school playground.
“We’re very glad, really glad – it’s taken four months, it’s just crazy,” said Simone Malakov, Daniel’s niece, of the new arrest.
Malakov and Borukhova’s daughter, Michelle, 4, had been the subject of a bitter custody battle between the two, and it was as father and daughter went to meet the mother that the execution took place.
Michelle has been in foster care ever since, but Borukhova had a family court hearing coming up just next week to fight for custody of the girl.