Detectives have found no sign of a break-in at the house. They believe the suspect knew the victim.Continue reading
A suspect is under arrest in the murder of Hungarian Queens resident Orsolya Gaál. As we have reported before, the body of the woman was found in a duffel bag on Saturday morning.
Previously, we have reported in detail about the murder of Hungarian Orsolya Gaál, who had been living in the US for 27 years. Since then, however, new pieces of information have emerged.
According to CBS News, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced Thursday that Gaál’s on-again, off-again lover, 44-year-old David Bonola, was arrested on murder and other charges. Police say that in addition to being the victim’s lover, Bonola was also the family’s handyman.
Reportedly, Bonola went to Gaál’s home on Juno Street early Saturday morning to talk about the relationship, and the two began to argue.
The police already said before that it is more likely that Gaál was murdered by someone she knew than a stranger as there was no sign of forced entry into the house. “He was either let in voluntarily or he used a key he had knowledge about hidden in the barbecue,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.
A heated argument ensues between the two in the basement. A knife is brandished. A violent struggle ensues, resulting in our victim being stabbed ruthlessly and brutally in excess of 55 times,”
Essig added.
“Bonola then retrieved a hockey bag belonging to Mrs. Gaál’s son, placed her in the bag, and — as the video showed — was seen rolling the body down the sidewalk, leaving a bloody trail through the streets of Forest Hills,” Essig said, referring to a camera’s footage on which a figure is seen with a bag.
After the bag with the woman’s body in it was found, the blood trail led investigators to her house. Now, Essig said that “Detectives also developed leads which led them to a location where boots, a t-shirt, and bloody bandages were discovered.”
It was known already that Gaál’s husband, Howard Klein, received a text saying: “Your whole family is next.” Now the police are saying that it was Bonola who sent Gaal’s husband the text. However, the text also included “Your wife put me in jail a few years ago. I’m back,” and Bonola has no prior arrests. Police found the threat to be baseless and stressed that he acted alone. “I just want to assure the public and especially the residents of Forest Hills that there are no outstanding suspects at this time,” Essig said.
After sending the threatening text, Bonola went to a hospital to be treated for deep stab wounds to his hands. Sources say that Wednesday night, officers zeroed in on Bonola’s home, where they found him with a bandaged hand. He was taken into custody and later confessed. They also say that he told detectives he didn’t go to the home with the intention of killing Gaal. Instead, he snapped in a fit of rage.
Gaál’s 13-year-old son was upstairs in the house, unaware that his mom was being killed in the basement, police said.
Police sources said the alleged slaying was not premeditated. After the woman died, Bonola panicked and stuffed her remains into the bag because he “didn’t want the family to find” her body. Then he rolled the duffle bag through Forest Hills, and dumped it outside of Forest Park, leaving behind the trail of blood that led back to Gaál’s side door.
Bonola was charged with murder, criminal tampering, and criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly stabbing Gaál, 51, nearly 60 times with a kitchen knife.
While the neighbors are still trying to process what happened, they are relieved that there is an arrest. “We’re all relieved, absolutely relieved, mostly for the family, as well. The family and her friends, that’s the first and most important part about all of this,” said neighbor John Blankson. Another neighbor, John Feltman, said: “Everybody’s still here trying to get some kind of a, you know, snapshot of what’s going on. The husband hasn’t been back here.”
Sources: The New York Post, CBS News
Featured image: David Bonola being arrested in New York. Screen capture via CBS News’ YouTube video
