What to know
- A handyman who was allegedly the occasional ex-lover of a Queens mother who he allegedly killed and dragged in a hockey bag pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a gruesome case that shocked the city, prosecutors say.
- David Bonola is expected to be sentenced to 25 years in prison later this month after pleading guilty on Wednesday for the murder of Orsolya Gaal, whose dismembered body was found in a duffel bag near Forest Park in mid-April morning.
- The bag belonged to one of Gaal’s sons, prosecutors said.
NEW YORK – A handyman who was allegedly the ex-lover of a Queens mother who he allegedly killed and dragged in a hockey bag has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a shocking case that shocked the city.
David Bonola is expected to be sentenced to 25 years in prison later this month after pleading guilty on Wednesday for the murder of Orsolya Gaal, whose dismembered body was found in a duffel bag near Forest Park in mid-April morning.
The bag belonged to one of Gaal’s sons, prosecutors said.
Bonola, 44, of South Richmond Hill, went to Gaal’s home at around 12:30 am on April 16. She had just returned from a night out at the same time. Bonola, who had worked at her home on several occasions, walked in once she was there and the two started arguing, according to court documents.
Bonola ended up slitting her throat and stabbing her more than 50 times, according to prosecutors.
The body of the 51-year-old mother from Forest Hills was found hours later after a trail of blood from the bag it was dumped in led investigators to her home not far away. Gaal had lived there with her husband and two children before she died.
After his arrest, Bonola told police that he and Gaal discussed their relationship, police sources said. The two were reportedly having an intimate relationship, as Gaal also employed him for occasional jobs at his home on Juno Street for a few years. He didn’t live far away, they added, and NYPD officials said he too knew where the spare key was hidden.
Bonola and Gaal had been on and off for about two years, police said, the last romantic encounter in early April. At the time of their deaths, they considered themselves “out of the way,” police said. The cops would find the murder weapon at Gaal’s house and Bonola’s jacket, which he had left in the park.
The detectives also developed clues that led them to bloody bandages, boots and a shirt that they believe Bonola was wearing at the time of Gaal’s murder. They say he was treated at Bellevue Hospital for injuries to both hands, but he didn’t describe the injuries other than to suggest they were the result of Gaal’s desperate effort to save his life.
“This heinous murder devastated an entire family, left two motherless children and horrified the surrounding community,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement announcing the plea deal Wednesday. “I want to thank my prosecutors for their comprehensive efforts to secure this guilty plea.”
“By pleading guilty, the accused accepted responsibility and must be held accountable for his criminal actions,” Katz added. “We express our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and hope that today’s request will allow them to begin healing.”
