Arrest Made in Murder of NYC Mom Found in Duffel Bag

Sources say handyman David Bonola has admitted killing Orsolya Gaal
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2022 8:38 AM CDT
Updated Apr 21, 2022 9:40 AM CDT

Update: A handyman suspected of killing New York City mother Orsolya Gaal is now in custody and has been charged with murder, police say. Law enforcement sources tell NBC New York that 44-year-old David Bonola allegedly killed Gaal in her basement after he showed up at her Queens home and they had an argument. She was stabbed 58 times and her body was found in a duffel bag. Sources tell the New York Post that Bonola, who reportedly had an affair with Gaal, left a blood-soaked pair of boots at the home. The sources say he has made a full confession. Our story from Wednesday follows:

A Queens mom found dead in a wheeled duffel bag had an affair with a former handyman who knew where to find the spare key to her family's home, law enforcement sources tell the New York Post. Orsolya Gaal, a 51-year-old mother of two, was stabbed more than 50 times and suffered blunt force trauma to the head inside her Forest Hills home in the early hours of Saturday, per People. Her body was then stashed in a hockey bag retrieved from the basement, wheeled down the street, and dumped a half-mile away, police say, per the Post. The blood-soaked bag was discovered 8am Saturday by a man walking his dogs, per People. Officers literally followed a blood trail back to Gaal's home, which showed no sign of a break-in, leading authorities to suspect Gaal was familiar with her killer.

After a night out Friday, Gaal had spent 40 minutes alone at a local bar, "apparently waiting for someone," per the Post. She was killed sometime after returning home. Her 13-year-old son was reportedly upstairs at the time—her husband and 17-year-old son were out of state. Given the messy scene, police believe the killer didn't plan his actions in advance. "If you want to kill somebody, you try to make it a little cleaner, be a little more prepared," a law-enforcement source tells the Post, adding the killer's DNA is likely to be found at the scene. The outlet reports police are looking to speak with the former handyman along with several men Gaal had been texting. People reports a person of interest has been identified but was not in custody as of Tuesday morning. (More murder stories.)

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