GUILTY NY - Orsolya Gaal, 51, body found in duffel bag, Queens, Apr 2022 *Arrest* #3

[bestill]

<modsnip>He doesn't seem too broken up over this based on what we're reading and his demeanor in the photos. I'm assuming that he's been appointed a public defender.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Blood Trail, Threatening Text Among Key Evidence in NYC Mom Duffel Bag Murder Case – NBC New York
<snipped & BBM>
David Bonola, 44, was arraigned on murder and other charges late Thursday. He appeared in front of a judge for the first time in the slaying of Orsolya Gaal, who was found dead the morning of April 16 after a trail of blood from where the bag her body was in was dumped led back to her Forest Hills home.

Bonola, who lives in South Richmond Hill, communicated with the judge with the help of a Spanish-language translator. He was remanded to the city's Department of Corrections and was said to be on suicide watch.

 

[kaen]

And I wonder, when did he get the kitchen knife (from her household)?

Did they start discussion in the kitchen?
Or was it lying "conveniently" in the basement?

If she let him in via the back door, then an interaction started in the kitchen---- where the knife is from and where the note was on the fridge. If she did not let him and he let himself in, then he had access to the knife and would have seen the note on the fridge. The note on the fridge may have been there before he arrived or been written when he was there, we don't know. JMHO.

 

[Sundog]

And I wonder, when did he get the kitchen knife (from her household)?

Did they start discussion in the kitchen?
Or was it lying "conveniently" in the basement?

I was wondering about that, too. I wonder if they went down to the basement to talk, since the 13 year old son was upstairs and OG didn't want to awaken him. And the argument escalated and DB started to storm out in a mounting rage that he couldn't control, and as it escalated within him, he grabbed a knife as he got upstairs and then went back downstairs and in his rage attacked her. She may have been right behind him and the attack may have started at the top of the stairs, in the kitchen.

Or maybe she tried to leave the basement as they argued and his rage grew, and he followed her up the stairs and grabbed the kitchen knife as they got to the top of the stairs.

I guess we'll find out as the case moves forward in the courts.

 

[MimosaMornings]

I’m curious who else in the neighborhood used DB to service their heating and air conditioning system/unit.

Has anyone found any social media for him advertising “handyman” services?

I’d like to see a picture of his DL.

Starbucks on a regular basis, plus red roses, rent, plus a wife and two kids to support supposedly - he’s bringing in that kind of income?
JMO

 

[Arkay]

No wonder many of us thought he was a young person. According to this, he is 5’5” and 150 lbs.

Inmate Lookup

Bonola, who lives in South Richmond Hill, communicated with the judge with the help of a Spanish-language translator. He was remanded to the city's Department of Corrections and was said to be on suicide watch.

I'll have to say that the height thing was never a factor to me when all we had was the grainy videotape of someone dragging the bag.

I'm 5' nothing, but I'm a woman. However, in a quarter of a century teaching 8th graders, I've had students that were shorter than me (desperately awaiting their growth spurt if they were boys) and students over 6' tall.

<modsnip>

What's a little more bewildering to me is that Bonola needs a Spanish translator. He's been in America for 21 years. He definitely knows enough English or he would have more trouble picking up handyman work as he would be expected to follow directions as to what's needed.
He could have been part of a work crew that is common around here...the contractor knows what needs to be done and someone translates to the work crew. But that is usually with new immigrants who know no English and are looking for work.

He was able to curse in English at the media in response to questions shouted in English.

I'm assuming that since this is a legal situation, he's being given the chance for an interpreter just because it will be easier for him to revert to his native language and the lawyers on both sides will want nothing to be misunderstood by him.

Jmo

 

[kaen]

I'll have to say that the height thing was never a factor to me when all we had was the grainy videotape of someone dragging the bag.

I'm 5' nothing, but I'm a woman. However, in a quarter of a century teaching 8th graders, I've had students that were shorter than me (desperately awaiting their growth spurt if they were boys) and students over 6' tall.

If I can say this without sounding like I'm generalizing, many of the Mexican men I've met, whether at parent/teacher conferences or just from being a New Yorker, tend to be short. I think it's a fairly dominant trait (along with always having a full head of hair). I was married to a Hispanic although he was a tall Puerto Rican, so I don't want anyone to think I'm stereotyping Hispanics, but it is something I've noticed over the years. I don't know many Guatemalans if that's what Bonola is, so I don't know if it's a dominant trait there.

What's a little more bewildering to me is that Bonola needs a Spanish translator. He's been in America for 21 years. He definitely knows enough English or he would have more trouble picking up handyman work as he would be expected to follow directions as to what's needed.
He could have been part of a work crew that is common around here...the contractor knows what needs to be done and someone translates to the work crew. But that is usually with new immigrants who know no English and are looking for work.

He was able to curse in English at the media in response to questions shouted in English.

I'm assuming that since this is a legal situation, he's being given the chance for an interpreter just because it will be easier for him to revert to his native language and the lawyers on both sides will want nothing to be misunderstood by him.

Jmo

I think the interpreter is to protect the case more than he doesn't have facility with English. This way there is no way that he did not understand his rights. I would imagine the interviews with police probably also gave him a chance to have speak with someone who speaks Spanish.

 

[Dotta]

I'll have to say that the height thing was never a factor to me when all we had was the grainy videotape of someone dragging the bag.

I'm 5' nothing, but I'm a woman. However, in a quarter of a century teaching 8th graders, I've had students that were shorter than me (desperately awaiting their growth spurt if they were boys) and students over 6' tall.

<modsnip>

What's a little more bewildering to me is that Bonola needs a Spanish translator. He's been in America for 21 years. He definitely knows enough English or he would have more trouble picking up handyman work as he would be expected to follow directions as to what's needed.
He could have been part of a work crew that is common around here...the contractor knows what needs to be done and someone translates to the work crew. But that is usually with new immigrants who know no English and are looking for work.

He was able to curse in English at the media in response to questions shouted in English.

I'm assuming that since this is a legal situation, he's being given the chance for an interpreter just because it will be easier for him to revert to his native language and the lawyers on both sides will want nothing to be misunderstood by him.

Jmo

I guess it is routine to organize an interpreter for people of foreign origin in Court legal matters.
Legal language is complex even for native people.

 

[Sundog]

I guess it is routine to organize an interpreter for people of foreign origin in Court legal matters.
Legal language is complex even for native people.

A lot of native people also don't s peak English, it's not just foreigners.

 

[NatKingCola]

I may find it a little difficult to believe the accused individual might show up unannounced, at that hour, without any prior communication, and potentially then be let allowed in to talk? Spur of the moment lapse in judgment? Arranged previously? Complete speculation, of course.

I also wonder how that wasn't immediately apparent in cell records, if a phone was recovered, and we find out that sort of communication method was used? Subpoena of phone records may take time, but I'm hoping there is an accelerated path in these most serious cases for the benefit of all victims.

I also understand a user's privacy concerns too, so it's tough. And not really trying to bring it back to the phone unlocking/biometric convo, just thinking of how often this might be something that could happen in the future where a perp could have time to flee, and how we can improve for the better (if at all).

Suppose obfuscated communication avenues may have been utilized and I'm still not clear if iMessages/WhatsApp and the like (i.e. data usage based on my crude understanding) are ever recoverable through a mobile carrier? Burner phone on one end would still leave a trail I think, on the non-burner account (if true text messages are used, zero personal experience here)?

I would like to know when the last job was completed, and if perhaps the out of town aspect was known via word of mouth or by observation of one's social media, and more about the supposed "as if waiting on someone" piece.

Queens mom Orsolya Gaal sat alone at local bar before she was slain: sources

 

[Colorado303]

David Bonola, 44, was seen walking down 114th Street near his Richmond Hill apartment around 6:05 a.m. Saturday morning — just hours after cops say he slaughtered Gaal in the basement of her Forest Hills home.

In the clips obtained by The Post, Bonola has what appears to be a white bandage wrapped around his left hand. He is seen making his way down the street in pants, a shirt and no jacket, and wearing a black mask halfway down his face, before walking into his apartment…

Later on Saturday, Bonola allegedly went to a CityMD for help with the cuts, but was sent to Bellevue Hospital after doctors at the urgent care center said the wounds were too deep for them to treat, police sources said.



Video shows Orsolya Gaal's accused killer David Bonola walking home

FCOL he’s wearing a onesie cover-up. He probably found it in the basement along w/the hockey bag. Dragging a hockey bag down the street at 4:00 a.m. w/bandaged hands wearing a unitard cover up. He couldn’t have been more conspicuous if he tried without brandishing a weapon, screaming or walking down the street naked.

The one thing I got correct from the beginning is this guy is an idiot.

 

[Countem]

I apologize if this has already been posted, but I found information that was new to me in the following snipped (BBM) quotes.

Orsolya Gaal let David Bonola into her home before repeatedly asking him leave

[…]

Gaal also appeared to have tipped off investigators to her accused killer – by posting a note on her refrigerator that read “GET A NEW HANDYMAN” before she was brutally stabbed to death, law enforcement sources said.

The handwritten memo was found by detectives last weekend at Gaal’s Forest Hills home, early on in their investigation into the shocking slaying of Gaal.

The note, first reported by The Daily Beast, was an apparent reference to Bonola — Gaal’s family’s heating and air conditioning repairman.

[…]

Bonola’s public defender, DS, said Thursday night that his client would apply for bail at a later date.

Bonola was scheduled to return to court on April 26. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

The Post has now learned that Gaal’s handyman paramour used to leave “creepy” love notes for baristas at his local Starbucks.

[…]

Bonola was a regular at the Austin Street coffee shop in Forest Hills and left female staffers so startled by his advances, they called the cops on him numerous times, a former worker claimed.

“He would come up to us and ask for coffees and tell us that we looked pretty and make comments about how we look,” former barista OP, 21, told The Post by phone Thursday.

“He was creepy, he stalked people… It was known. Everyone knew he was a weird individual, especially in the Starbucks on Austin Street,” said OP, who worked at the location for three years before quitting five months ago.

Bonola — whose estranged wife and children also live in Queens, according to police sources — would also “drop in the tip jar love notes and songs that he would make about us,” said OP.

“He even went as far as proposing to two of us, which is super unsettling because of how weird the interactions were,” she said.

He was at the coffee shop multiple times a week and always ordered the same items – a dark roast pour over and a lemon loaf or banana nut loaf, the former worker noted.

In between his cups of Joe, the 44-year-old would frequently proposition female workers, handing them a note and a piece of jewelry as he asked them to be with him, according to OP.

[…]

 

[forgetmenot]

I never read what became of the dog.

 

[TenaciousTBacon]

E="Countem, post: 17545195, member: 258104"]I apologize if this has already been posted, but I found information that was new to me in the following snipped (BBM) quotes.

Orsolya Gaal let David Bonola into her home before repeatedly asking him leave

[…]

Gaal also appeared to have tipped off investigators to her accused killer – by posting a note on her refrigerator that read “GET A NEW HANDYMAN” before she was brutally stabbed to death, law enforcement sources said.

The handwritten memo was found by detectives last weekend at Gaal’s Forest Hills home, early on in their investigation into the shocking slaying of Gaal.

The note, first reported by The Daily Beast, was an apparent reference to Bonola — Gaal’s family’s heating and air conditioning repairman.

[…]

Bonola’s public defender, DS, said Thursday night that his client would apply for bail at a later date.

Bonola was scheduled to return to court on April 26. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

The Post has now learned that Gaal’s handyman paramour used to leave “creepy” love notes for baristas at his local Starbucks.

[…]

Bonola was a regular at the Austin Street coffee shop in Forest Hills and left female staffers so startled by his advances, they called the cops on him numerous times, a former worker claimed.

“He would come up to us and ask for coffees and tell us that we looked pretty and make comments about how we look,” former barista OP, 21, told The Post by phone Thursday.

“He was creepy, he stalked people… It was known. Everyone knew he was a weird individual, especially in the Starbucks on Austin Street,” said OP, who worked at the location for three years before quitting five months ago.

Bonola — whose estranged wife and children also live in Queens, according to police sources — would also “drop in the tip jar love notes and songs that he would make about us,” said OP.

“He even went as far as proposing to two of us, which is super unsettling because of how weird the interactions were,” she said.

He was at the coffee shop multiple times a week and always ordered the same items – a dark roast pour over and a lemon loaf or banana nut loaf, the former worker noted.

In between his cups of Joe, the 44-year-old would frequently proposition female workers, handing them a note and a piece of jewelry as he asked them to be with him, according to OP.

[…][/QUOTE]
I've read this a couple times. Personally, I don't see what they called the cops about. Customers are sometimes weird, or flirty when you don't want them to be. Leaving song lyrics in the tip jar may be unwelcome but it's not a crime.

 

[bestill]

One week ago today and life was normal for them, and now they are living a nightmare. This senseless murder is really bothering me, I think it's knowing how brutal it was for her.

 

[riolove77]

I commend the NYPD for how fast they solved this brutal crime. I pray for her family's peace. The nightmare has only just begun for them.

 

[waldojabba]

I’m curious who else in the neighborhood used DB to service their heating and air conditioning system/unit.

Has anyone found any social media for him advertising “handyman” services?

I’d like to see a picture of his DL.

Starbucks on a regular basis, plus red roses, rent, plus a wife and two kids to support supposedly - he’s bringing in that kind of income?
JMO

I live in a similar type neighborhood in the northeast, just outside a major city in a different state. I have an old house and have had many handyman types over the years. Their current going rate ( if you can find one available) is $100-150/hr and you pay the full hour rate for any portion of that hr. I try to fix a lot of things myself via youtube tutorials!

 

[indicolite22]

I apologize if this has already been posted, but I found information that was new to me in the following snipped (BBM) quotes.

Orsolya Gaal let David Bonola into her home before repeatedly asking him leave

[…]

Gaal also appeared to have tipped off investigators to her accused killer – by posting a note on her refrigerator that read “GET A NEW HANDYMAN” before she was brutally stabbed to death, law enforcement sources said.

The handwritten memo was found by detectives last weekend at Gaal’s Forest Hills home, early on in their investigation into the shocking slaying of Gaal.

The note, first reported by The Daily Beast, was an apparent reference to Bonola — Gaal’s family’s heating and air conditioning repairman.

[…]

Bonola’s public defender, DS, said Thursday night that his client would apply for bail at a later date.

Bonola was scheduled to return to court on April 26. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

The Post has now learned that Gaal’s handyman paramour used to leave “creepy” love notes for baristas at his local Starbucks.

[…]

Bonola was a regular at the Austin Street coffee shop in Forest Hills and left female staffers so startled by his advances, they called the cops on him numerous times, a former worker claimed.

“He would come up to us and ask for coffees and tell us that we looked pretty and make comments about how we look,” former barista OP, 21, told The Post by phone Thursday.

“He was creepy, he stalked people… It was known. Everyone knew he was a weird individual, especially in the Starbucks on Austin Street,” said OP, who worked at the location for three years before quitting five months ago.

Bonola — whose estranged wife and children also live in Queens, according to police sources — would also “drop in the tip jar love notes and songs that he would make about us,” said OP.

“He even went as far as proposing to two of us, which is super unsettling because of how weird the interactions were,” she said.

He was at the coffee shop multiple times a week and always ordered the same items – a dark roast pour over and a lemon loaf or banana nut loaf, the former worker noted.

In between his cups of Joe, the 44-year-old would frequently proposition female workers, handing them a note and a piece of jewelry as he asked them to be with him, according to OP.

[…]

How come that the guy wasn't banned from that Starbucks?

 

[Fika]

I’m surprised by the outcome I really thought it was a teen( video plus actions).
I’m happy that he is caught and off the streets and hopefully will be serving a life sentence for this brutal crime.
It’s horrifying to think how much anger was in him to stab her so many times, such a senseless murder. He seems like an obsessive/stalker type and as a woman people like that scare me more than anything.

 

[waldojabba]

Between the bolded statement above, and this statement from the DailyMail article above,

After being arrested, he made a calm confession to the police and then ate a bagel with cream cheese, according to The New York Post.

I believe we are seeing the first moves in a planned insanity defense coming in this case. JMO

@SteveP IMO this guy definitely shows evidence of disorganized thinking. Every step of the way his decision making borders bizarre. He may have a diagnosed condition (off his meds?) or more likely an undiagnosed disorder but IMO he obviously understood right vs wrong.
Not that Defense won't try, but I would not see any insanity defense prevailing from what we know now. IIRC he worked as a handyman hvac type in the day so he could play his music at venues (?) at night. I think he also attended school for filmaking. People may have written off any mood disorder, if he has one, as thinking that is just how "artists" are.
Edit to add - Hopefully his estranged wife will be able to shine a light on what makes this guy tick. My heart goes out to her as well as his two children as they are severely affected also. ALL IMO