Orsolya Gaal news: David Bonola appears in court as police say he slashed lover’s throat
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The handyman accused of murdering Queens’ mother-of-two Orsolya Gaal before stuffing her body in her son’s hockey duffle bag and dumping it in a nearby park appeared in court on Thursday night charged with her murder.
David Bonola, 44, was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on charges of murder in the second degree, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
A judge ordered him to be held without bond after police said he confessed to killing the 51-year-old, who he had been in an on-off relationship with for the last two years.
Prosecutors said Ms Gaal let Mr Bonola into her home in Forest Hills in the early hours of Saturday morning before they got into an argument in the basement and she asked him to leave.
The suspect then allegedly slashed Ms Gaal’s throat and stabbed her over 50 times with a kitchen knife before moving her body to Forest Park, where a passer-by discovered it later that morning.
Police said Mr Bonola handed himself in on Wednesday and spilled the details of her murder.
Orsolya Gaal sat at a bar on her own for 40 mins on night she died: report
The married mother of two who was murdered in her home in Queens reportedly sat at a bar on her own for 40 minutes on the night she died.
Orsolya Gaal, 51, attended a performance at the Lincoln Centre with a female friend before returning to the Forest Hills neighbourhood where she lived, CBS New York reported.
Police sources told The New York Post she sat on her own at a bar in the area for 40 minutes, apparently waiting for someone, before returning home around midnight on Friday.
The NYPD have identified a “person of interest” who was known to Ms Gaal and had access to her home.
She was stabbed 58 times in the neck and torso, and suffered defensive wounds to her arm, fingers and palm, an autopsy found.
Orsolya Gaal’s death ruled a homicide due to ‘sharp force injuries of the neck'
The medical examiner’s office ruled Orsolya Gaal’s death was a homicide caused by “sharp force injuries of the neck”.
Ms Gaal, 51, was stabbed 58 times in the neck, torso and arm, and suffered defensive wounds to her fingers and palms.
Detectives believe Ms Gaal’s attacker was known to her given the severity of the wounds, and have reportedly identified a “person of interest”.
A $3500 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
Footage shows suspect wheeling Orsolya Gaal’s body in duffle bag near her home
New footage shows a suspect wheeling a duffle bag containing murdered Queens woman Orsolya Gaal’s remains at 4.30am Saturday morning.
The surveillance video was caught on a doorbell camera on 75th Avenue, a few blocks from Ms Gaal’s home on Juno St in the Forest Hills neighbourhood.
Police say Ms Gaal was stabbed 58 times in her home before her killer dumped the sports bag about 800m away on a popular walking track.
The NYPD have offered a $3500 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Orsolya Gaal went missing two years before she was murdered and left in duffle bag
New York mother Orsolya Gaal was reported missing by her husband two years before she was brutally murdered and left in a duffle bag, policesources have revealed.
Howard Klein called 911 just after 7am on 29 May 2020 to say that his wife had failed to return from a late night stroll the night before, sources told the New York Post.
Mr Klein phoned back about half an hour later to say that Ms Gaal, 51, had been found.
NYC mom went missing two years before she was murdered and left in duffle bag
Police reveal husband made 911 call to report Queens mum missing in May 2020
Timeline of events in the brutal murder of Orsolya Gaal
The grisly murder of mother-of-two Orsolya Gaal has stunned residents of the Forest Hills, Queens, neighbourhood where she lived.
Ms Gaal, 51, was stabbed 58 times in the basement of her home before her killer placed her body in a duffle bag and left her remains in a nearby park early on the morning of Saturday, 16 April.
Two days later, it emerged police had identified a person of interest in her killing.
Here is what we know about the events leading up to Ms Gaal’s death and the police investigation.
Timeline of events in brutal murder of NYC mother Orsolya Gaal
Police piece together Ms Gaal’s final moments as they identify ‘person of interest’
NYPD offer $3500 for information on murder of Orsolya Gaal
The NYPD are offering a $3500 reward for information about the murder of Orsolya Gaal.
Officers put up posters in the Forest Hills neighbourhood in Queens where the mother of two was stabbed 58 times early Saturday morning before being stuffed in a duffle bag and dumped in a nearby park.
Surveillance footage captured a suspect wheeling the duffle near to Ms Gaal’s home at about 4.30am on Saturday morning.
Police sources say Ms Gaal attended a concert at the Lincoln Centre on Friday night, and later went to a bar near her home for 40 minutes before returning home on her own.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 577 8477.
Orsolya Gaal’s death ruled a homicide due to ‘sharp force injuries of the neck’
The medical examiner’s office ruled Orsolya Gaal’s death was a homicide caused by “sharp force injuries of the neck”.
Ms Gaal, 51, was stabbed 58 times in the neck, torso and arm, and suffered defensive wounds to her fingers and palms.
Detectives believe Ms Gaal’s attacker was known to her given the severity of the wounds, and have reportedly identified a “person of interest”.
A $3500 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
The killing wasn't pre-planned, say law enforcement sources
The murder of Orsolya Gaal does not seem to be pre-planned, enforcement sources said, citing the trail of blood left behind by the killer.
“[Detectives] don’t think it was a planned murder. He left a blood trail for five blocks from the house,” a source told The New York Post.
“It was like a trail of bread crumbs. If you want to kill somebody, you try to make it a little cleaner, be a little more prepared. He didn’t go with something to move her body. He took something from the house,” the source added.
Investigators exploring Gaal’s relationships with other men
Officers investigating the ghastly killing of 51-year-old Orsolya Gaal are now exploring her relationships with other men.
Investigators are probing Gaal’s possible romantic links to at least one person based on her electronic communications with him, sources told CBS2.
They added that the accused likely entered Gaal’s house through the back door and there was no indication of forced entry, suggesting the victim knew the attacker.
The New York Police Department is offering a reward of $3,500 for anyone with information leading up to an arrest.
Neighbours and friends leave condolence messages on Facebook
Friends and neighbours of the 51-year-old Orsolya Gaal took to her social media page to leave condolences and share their grief with the family over her torturous death.
“I’ll always remember how passionate you were about your boys and their education. I’m so sorry about how you left this world but I hope you find peace in the afterlife. Your boys are so lucky to have you as a Mom,” wrote David S Lee.
Adele Friedman D’Man, who claims to have been friends with Gaal for 15 years, said she can’t fathom this. “We were on the phone together just days ago speaking about Colleges... No no no ... My heart is broken,” she wrote.
“You are the most beautiful and kindest woman! I will miss you! Can’t believe we have been talking about our puppies for the last two months,” added Cecilia Shi.
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