Investigators are sharing more that they've learned about the circumstances that led to the murder of Queens wife and mother of two Orsolya Gaal.
It's now believed that Gaal let her former HVAC handyman and alleged affair partner David Bonola into her Forest Hills home willingly just after midnight on April 15. It's believed that Gaal had decided to end the affair, and that's what Bonola was there to talk about. The conversation went south, and Bonola flew into a rage. He stabbed her to death, nearly 60 times, then disposed of her body in a duffel bag in nearby Forest Park.
The Queens County District Attorney's Office shared some new details during Bonola's arraignment at Queens County Criminal Court on April 22.
"The defendant and victim were known to each other," Assistant District Attorney Josh Garland told the court at Bonola's arraignment, per the New York Post
"The defendant went to the victim's residence between 12 am and 4 am … to engage her in a verbal dispute."
"Because she knew him, she let him into the house. He then engaged her in a verbal dispute and unfortunately she had to ask him to leave multiple times," Garland continued.
Bonola didn't comply and "refused to leave and the incident [escalated] with the unfortunate stabbing of the victim over 50 times."
The duffel bag used by Bonola to haul Gaal's body from her home to Forest Park was actually a hockey bag belonging to her son, the district attorney's office shared. Bonola wasn't reactive as the details behind his charges of second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence were shared.
Bonola confessed to officers and later sat and answered the prosecutor's questions. As a result, the judge held him without bail.
"The accused lays out in detail what happened, how it happened and what he did following the events given rise to this case," he shared.
Bonola's next court date is April 26. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Though his involvement with Gaal was largely unknown, those familiar with Bonola aren't entirely surprised he could be behind the brutal murder. He is a known menace at a local Starbucks, where he's made unwanted advances at multiple baristas.
"He would come up to us and ask for coffees and tell us that we looked pretty and make comments about how we look," one former barista told the New York Post of her experience working there nearly five years ago.
"[He would] drop in the tip jar love notes and songs that he would make about us … He was creepy, he stalked people … It was known. Everyone knew he was a weird individual, especially in the Starbucks on Austin Street."
Since his identity was revealed, web sleuths have found comments on Gaal's Facebook from Bonola. He commented on photos in 2020 calling her "the most beautiful woman" and "loving."
