Slain New York mother Orsolya Gaal apparently knew her alleged killer and let him inside her home on the morning he allegedly stabbed her to death after a heated argument, according to police.
“The defendant and victim were known to each other. The defendant went to the victim’s residence between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m.–to engage her in a verbal dispute,” Assistant District Attorney Josh Garland said during accused killer David Bonola’s arraignment on Thursday.
“Because she knew him, she let him into the house. He then engaged her in a verbal dispute and unfortunately she had to ask him to leave multiple times.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Bonola is the man investigators believed had a romantic tryst with Gaal. He was arrested Thursday and charged with murder, criminal tampering, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Officials said Gaal was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Bonola for a few years but by April, the relationship had ended.
Chief James Essig said earlier this week that Bonola arrived at Gaal’s home between 12:30 a.m. and 12:40 a.m. on April 16, shortly after Gaal returned home from a neighborhood pub. An argument broke out, which continued in the basement.
Police believe the suspect killed Gaal in her own residence before stuffing her in her son’s hockey bag and dragging her outside.
The court also heard how Gaal appeared to tip off police about the killer. She reportedly left a note on her refrigerator that read “GET A NEW HANDYMAN” before she was stabbed to death, according to a law enforcement source.
Investigators found the note early on in the investigation, the Daily Beast reports. They also searched the suspect’s garbage and found bloody pair of work boots and other bloodied items.
At 4:30 a.m. on April 16, a security video captured a man rolling the bloody duffel bag down Juno Street, a police source told New York Daily News. Police identified the man as Bonola.
At the house, police questioned Gaal’s 13-year-old son and later released him. He reportedly told officers that he didn’t know where his mother was, but he had been in the home on the night in question. Gaal’s husband, Klein, and their 17-year-old son were traveling out of state visiting college campuses at the time of the killing.
Police said they believe the duffel bag came from inside the home and belonged to one of Gaal’s children.
The New York Post reports that Judge Anthony Battisti ordered Bonola to remain behind bars without bail. He was also placed on suicide watch.
“The accused lays out in detail what happened, how it happened and what he did following the events given rise to this case,” Battisti said.
Check back for updates.
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