The grisly murder of mother-of-two Orsolya Gaal has stunned residents of the Forest Hills, Queens, neighbourhood where she lived.
Ms Gaal, 51, was stabbed 58 times in the basement of her home before her killer placed her body in a duffle bag and left her remains in a nearby park early on the morning of Saturday, 16 April.
On Thursday, handyman David Bonola, 44, was arrested and charged with Ms Gaal’s murder.
Police say they had been in an “on and off” relationship for two years.
Here is what we know about the events leading up to Ms Gaal’s death and the police investigation.
Good Friday, 15 April: Ms Gaal is seen in the backyard of her Tudor-style Forest Hills home with her dog Teddy during the evening by neighbour John Blankson.
Sources told CBS New York that Ms Gaal attended a show at the Lincoln Center that evening with friends. Her youngest son Leo, 13, stayed at home.
Husband Howard Klein, 53, and eldest son Jamie, 17, were in Oregon reportedly looking at college options for when he graduated high school.
She later went to the at the Forest Hills Station House bar, ordering a Moscow mule cocktail and a bite to eat, bar manager Gabe Veras said.
She stayed for around 45 minutes before returning to her home alone at about 12.30am.
Mr Veras told CBS New York that Ms Gaal was on a high after seeing one of her favourite composers.
Police say her killer arrived at the home between 12.20am and 12.30am, and knew that a spare key would be hidden in a barbecue on the property.
Mr Bonola had worked as a handyman at the family home, and was familiar with its layout, police say. There were no signs of forced entry.
Police say Mr Bonola got into a “heated argument” with Ms Gaal, and stabbed her more than 50 times in her torso, neck, and arms. She suffered defensive wounds to her palm and fingers. The ferocity of the attack leads law enforcement to immediately suspect that it was carried out by someone who knew her.
Police believe Mr Bonola stuffed her remains inside the bag and dumped it half a mile away from her home near the corners of Jackie Robinson Parkway and Metropolitan Avenue.
At 4.30am, surveillance cameras on a doorbell on 75th Avenue capture a person wheeling a duffle bag down the street.
He told police he removed her body because he didn’t want anyone in the family to discover it.
After leaving the body on a walking track, Mr Bonola fled through Forest Park, where officers found a jacket. Detectives also found boots, a T-shirt and bloody bandages elsewhere.
Mr Bonola suffered wounds to both hands, and sought treatment at a local hospital.
Saturday, 16 April: Just after 8am, dog-walker Glenn Van Nostrand, 51, stumbles across the bag after his two Rhodesian ridgebacks are drawn to the scent.
Mr Van Nostrand told The New York Post he looked inside and thought it might have been a mannequin at first. He quickly realised it was a body, and called 911 at 8.11am.
The victim doesn’t have any ID on her, and police trace a blood trail back to the family home.
They find Leo, 13, home alone on the top floor of the three storey home. He is led away in handcuffs for questioning at a local precinct, before being released later that day.
Mr Klein, who founded and runs a boutique finance firm, tells police that he receives a threatening text message from his wife’s mobile phone, warning him: “Your whole family is next”. The killer alludes to Ms Gaal having been responsible for sending him to prison.
Mr Klein travels back to New York from Portland, Oregon, with son Jamie, telling The Post: “Our lives are at risk”.
The family have not returned to the family home, which is being treated as a crime scene.
Sunday, 17 April: Neighbours in the well-to-do Queens neighbourhood express alarm at such a grisly crime being carried out in a family home.
Local resident Nick Bais tells The Post: “Everybody’s on edge because a killer is running around, who just butchered someone yards from our homes, and they are still at large.”
Police maintain a presence outside the Tudor-style home.
Tributes flow for Ms Gaal, a Hungarian native who is believed to have met Mr Klein when he worked as an investment banker in Budapest in the 1990s.
She is remembered as a doting mother, animal lover, and keen hiker and skier, who enjoyed travel and attending live concerts.
Monday, 18 April: Police return to the home in the early afternoon, removing an iMac computer, and several bags of evidence.
Several media outlets report that the NYPD have identified a “person of interest” in the case. He is described as a male who was known to Ms Gaal and had access to her Juno St home.
Police sources reveal that Ms Gaal was reported missing by her husband in May 2020.
The Post reported Mr Klein called 911 just after 7am to say his wife had not returned after going for a stroll at about 12.30am the night before.
He called back about 30 minutes later to say his wife had returned safely.
The medical examiner’s office confirmed Ms Gaal’s death was classified a homicide, due to “sharp force injuries of the neck.”
Tuesday, 19 April: Police say the investigation into Ms Gaal’s death is ongoing. They are yet to name a suspect or make an arrest.
Officers canvas the neighbourhood putting up posters announcing a $3500 reward for information.
The poster states: “Up to $3,500 reward for information regarding a homicide”, alongside a photo of the Klein-Gaal home.
“On Saturday, April 16th, 2022, at approximately 12:40am… An unknown perpetrator stabbed a 51-year-old Orsolya Gaal multiple times causing her death. The victim was found inside a duffel bag along Metropolitan Avenue in Queens,” police state.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 577 8477.
The New York Post reported that police wanted to speak with a handyman who had previously worked at the house, and may have had access to the property.
A law enforcement source told The Post: “[Detectives] don’t think it was a planned murder.
“He left a blood trail for five blocks from the house. It was like a trail of bread crumbs,” the source added.
“If you want to kill somebody, you try to make it a little cleaner, be a little more prepared. He didn’t go with something to move her body. He took something from the house.”
An electrician who carried out work on the Queens home where Orsolya Gaal was murdered says the house was fitted out with an advanced surveillance system.
Arrjuna Jack told DailyMail.comthe property in Juno St, Forest Hills, had cameras throughout the property.
Mr Jack said the home had a separate entranceway that leads into the kitchen and down to the basement.
Wednesday 20 April: An NYPD spokeswoman tells The Independent no persons of interest have been identified.
“The investigation is very much ongoing, the detectives are looking at all of the information that is coming in.”
NYPD detectives returned to the neighborhood that night to search for David Bonola, 44. Mr Bonola was one of three men Ms Gaal was speaking to the night of her murder, and reportedly a former lover.
Mr Bonola reportedly walked up to the detectives’ car around 11:30am and said “I hear you are looking for me.” He was transported to the 112th precinct where he was questioned and then ultimately arrested.
The man allegedly made a full confession to police. Mr Bonola said he had previously done work at Ms Gaal’s home and knew where to find the key. He allegedly said it allowed him to slip into the house and stab Ms Gaal to death without alerting her 13-year-old son who was upstairs.
Thursday 20 April:
Police hold a press conference where they release a detailed timeline of the killing. They say the pair had been in an intimate relationship for about two years which had ended sometime before the killing.
Mr Bonola is charged with second degree murder, possession of a weapon and criminal tampering.
