A New York Handyman Was Upset With His Lover. He Then Stabbed Her More Than 50 Times And Stuffed The Remains In A Bag.
David Bonola.
Nov. 3 2022, Published 12:53 p.m. ET
A New York man pleaded guilty to stabbing a woman to death and stuffing her body into a hockey bag, Radar has learned.
David Bonola, 44, submitted the guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter on Nov. 2 in connection to the death of Orsolya Gaal.
"This heinous killing devastated an entire family, left two boys without a mother, and horrified the surrounding community," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "I want to thank my prosecutors for their exhaustive efforts in securing this plea. In pleading guilty, the defendant has accepted responsibility and is being held fully accountable for his criminal actions. We express our sincerest condolences to the victim's family and hope that today's plea will allow them to begin to heal."
According to police, Bonola and Gaal were involved in an off-and-on "intimate affair" for a couple years before he killed her. After the murder, he stuffed her body in a duffel bag and took it beneath the Jackie Robinson Parkway, where it left "a bloody trail through the streets of Forest Hills," the NYPD said.
Police say Bonola was a handyman who arrived in the United States 21 years ago. He had been working on Gaal's house when the relationship began.
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According to police, Bonola went to Gaal's home one night in April to discuss their relationship. Authorities say there was no sign of forced entry. Therefore, he was let in or used a spare key to enter the residence.
Police say that an argument ensued between the two and Bonola grabbed a knife and stabbed her "ruthlessly and brutally" more than 55 times, Chief of Detectives James Essig told WABC. The outlet reported that Gaal's youngest son was in the home at the time of the murder but was unaware of what was happening.
Police discovered surveillance video that depicted Bonola dragging the duffel bag down the street early in the morning. He then dumped Gaal's body near Forest Park in Queens before leaving, though police found his jacket left behind.
Bonola's plea deal allows the two sides to avoid a trial, WABC reported. Under it, he will be sentenced to 25 years in prison. "If you win at trial on a murder, you get 25 to life," former prosecutor David Schwartz said. "Or we could plead the case out to a manslaughter and it's 25 years, but the family can move on. And this happens all the time."