Dr. Daniel Malakov (1974-2007) was a popular local orthodontist whose life was cut short following a contentious custody battle with his wife. Malakov was born in Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan on January 13, 1974, though by the time he was nine months old, the family had moved to Tashkent. He moved to the United States in 1991, attending York College and then New York University's School of Dentistry. He finally pursued the orthodontic specialty program at Columbia University, garnering him the honor of being the first Bukharian orthodontist trained at an Ivy League institution in the United States. Malakov saw an opportunity to serve his local Bukharian Jewish community, and the Queens community at large, and he opened his practice in Forest Hills. He was known to provide pro bono treatment to the children of first responders and others who weren't able afford orthodontic care, and he inspired his late sister's children to follow his path toward dentistry and orthodontics. During this time, Malakov married Dr. Mazoltuv Borukhova, a specialist in internal medicine at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island, and they had a daughter, Michelle. The couple's relationship faltered early on, particularly over disagreements on how to raise Michelle. They separated and reunited, then separated again, at which point the contentious custody dispute began. On October 28, 2007, Malakov brought then-4-year-old Michelle to be picked up by Borukhova at Annadale Playground. He had been granted temporary custody of Michelle by a judge about a week earlier. After Michelle ran to her mother, Malakov was shot and killed by a gunman who immediately fled. Borukhova was accused of hiring her distant relative, Mikhail Mallayev, to murder Malakov. Both Borukhova and Mallayev were arrested, tried, and convicted for the killing, and each was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Community Board 6 voted to rename this intersection next to Annadale Playground for Malakov in 2010. City Councilmember Lynn Schulman introduced the renaming in 2024.