QUEENS, N.Y. (WPIX) — A handyman who’d had an on-and-off affair with a Queens, New York, mom allegedly stabbed her to death, put her body in a duffel bag and pulled it outside, police said Thursday.
Officers arrested David Bonola, 44, on charges of murder, criminal tampering and criminal possession of a weapon. He’s accused of stabbing Orsolya Gaal, a 51-year-old mom of two teens, 58 times.
Gaal went out to Lincoln Center on Friday night, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives James Essig said. She was back in Queens at a local bar by 11:20 p.m. and got home around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday. It’s believed Bonola was either let inside or used a hidden key he knew about to get into the home around 12:30 a.m.
“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, resulting in her demise,” Essig said.
Bonola allegedly put Gaal into a hockey bag belonging to her son, then dumped the bag near Metropolitan Avenue and Jackie Robinson Parkway — about a half a mile from her home. A man walking his dog found the bag and called the police, according to sources.
Essig said investigators found a jacket in nearby Forest Park believed to be worn by Bonola during the crime. Detectives also later found boots, a shirt and bloody bandages. They determined Bonola got medical treatment for wounds to both hands.
Once he was taken into police custody, Bonola made incriminating statements, Essig said. He has no prior arrests police know of. Bonola is the only suspect in the case.
Police said the argument before Gaal’s death was over their relationship. Though Bonola and Gaal had “reunited” early in April after breaking up, their relationship was considered at an end. In addition to what police described as an “intimate relationship” between the two, Bonola had been doing periodic work at Gaal’s home for two years.
The suspect also allegedly sent a chilling text to Gaal’s husband, who was out of town at the time, threatening to kill his whole family, sources told Nexstar’s WPIX. The husband was cooperating with police and had turned over his cellphone.