Woman who beat toddler not released from prison

Woman who beat toddler not released from prison

Published: Tuesday, April 04, 2006

By Patricia Doxsey

Jeannie Malak, the former Hyde Park resident who in 2001 severely beat her then 18-month old son remained behind bars Monday, even though she had been granted an April 3 conditional release date by the state Division of Parole.

Officials with the Department of Correctional Services on Monday confirmed that Malak remained at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, but referred questions about her continued incarceration to the state Division of Parole. Officials with that agency could not be reached Monday.

In March 2003, Malak pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, admitting that on July 17, 2001, she beat her adopted infant son, xxxx [name removed for reasons of privacy], so severely that he was left physically and mentally handicapped.

In April 2003, she was sentenced to 3{ years in state prison.

Authorities said that Malak, who at the time of the incident was married to local pediatrician Joseph Malak, brought her son to her husband's pediatric facility at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, saying the boy had fallen down the carpeted stairs of the family home.

Mrs. Malak never provided any details of the events that took place on July 17, 2001, however prosecutors at the time said the child was covered with bruises inconsistent with Mrs. Malak's claim that the child had fallen down carpeted stairs.

Joseph Jr. was one of two children the couple adopted from Guatemala in 1999 by forging a letter from a doctor Mrs. Malak had been seeing for psychiatric problems, attesting that she was mentally fit to adopt the children.

At the time of Mrs. Malak's sentencing, the children were living with Dr. Malak.