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Who is David Bonola? Ex-handyman lover, 44, arrested for Orsolya Gaal's murder

David Bonola, 44, has been charged with murder, criminal tampering in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree

QUEENS, NEW YORK: A man has been arrested in the murder of Orsolya Gaal, the 55-year-old mom-of-two who was stabbed to death and disposed of in a duffel bag. Her body was discovered near a popular walking path in the Queens neighborhood, triggering fear among residents. David Bonola, 44, has been charged with murder, criminal tampering in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, police said on Thursday, April 21.

The horrifying scene of Gaal's remains was discovered by Glenn Van Nostrand, 51, while he was walking his two dogs through nearby Forest Park. He initially thought the bag had simply been discarded but decided to take a look after his dogs, two Rhodesian ridgebacks, Philip and Iris, began to get agitated. “They are scent hounds,” Van said. “They see the world through their noses.”

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When he opened the bag, he saw a foot and a hip, still attached. “But to me it looked like a mannequin,” he said. “It didn’t look very fleshy. It was more like a crash test dummy. I thought it was maybe some equipment being used for something. I didn’t think anything of it.” Van then noticed black, ankle-length jeans, a belt and a woman’s waist. The body was reportedly in a fetal position inside the bag with wheels. However, Van eventually noticed blood on the other side of the bag after he opened it. “I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness,’ and called police at 8:05 a.m. and said there’s a body in this bag,’” he said. The duffel bag had reportedly been leaking blood, and authorities were investigating a blood trail that led to the Juno Street home.

Who is David Bonola?

NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said in a press conference that Gaal and Bonola had been in an "off-and-on" relationship for at least two years. Bonola was employed as a handyman for the family's home. Although the two allegedly reunited in April, their relationship was considered at an end at the time when Gaal was killed.

Bonola is a married dad of two. His estranged wife and children also live in Queens, sources said. Workers at an Austin coffee shop that he frequented said that cops were called on him multiple times for his inappropriate advances towards women.

Bonola was initially sought by investigators in connection with the killing. He reportedly knew of a spare key of the house. Bonola voluntarily came back to the precinct, where he made incriminating statements. Police believe that on Saturday, April 16, Bolona entered Gaal's home, but it is unclear whether he was let in or he used a key he knew was hidden in a barbecue outside. The two allegedly had a dispute of a "domestic nature", after which Bolola brandished a kitchen knife and stabbed Gaal about 60 times. 

The knife, that police recovered on the scene, was consistent with other knives in the home. Bonola then placed Gaal's body in a duffel back that belonged to her son and disposed of it. Video evidence later showed him rolling the bag down the sidewalk. Police believe Bonola fled through Forest Park. The jacket he was wearing during the crime was later recovered, besides a pair of boots, a t-shirt and bloody bandages.

Bonola allegedly received treatment at a local medical institution for wounds in both of his hands, that he possibly received during Gaal's "violent struggle" for her life. Gaal was murdered in the basement of her house while her son, 13, was upstairs. Bonola then allegedly took her phone and sent a bone-chilling text to Gaal's husband, saying, "Your whole family is next." At the time of the murder, Gaal's husband, Howard Klein, and their eldest son were traveling out of state. Law enforcement sources had earlier claimed that the murder may not have been pre-meditated.