Handyman Pleads Guilty in Brutal Slaying After Affair

David Bonola allegedly said Orsolya Gaal was 'cheating on me,' 'gave me HIV'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 11, 2022 7:51 AM CDT
Updated Nov 2, 2022 6:20 PM CDT

Update: A handyman and lover of a Queens woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to her brutal slaying. Prosecutors say David Bonola stabbed Orsolya Gaal dozens of times during an argument in the basement of her home, the New York Daily News reports. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 16, when Bonola could receive a 25-year prison term. "This heinous killing devastated an entire family, left two boys without a mother, and horrified the surrounding community," said District Attorney Melinda Katz. "The defendant has accepted responsibility and is being held fully accountable for his criminal actions." Our story from May 11 follows:

The handyman accused of murdering his lover in the Queens home she shared with her husband and two children then stuffing her body in her son's hockey bag, has offered motives for his alleged actions: He believed Orsolya Gaal was "cheating on me" and "gave me HIV," according to court documents. "She lied to me, she used me. She told me that she loved me," David Bonola, 44, who is also married, allegedly told investigators on April 20, per the New York Post. But "she couldn't be with one person." He also said she told him she was going to visit another man, according to court documents. "That made me angry," Bonola allegedly said. "I couldn't accept it."

The Mexican national—who was reportedly living in the US illegally for the last 21 years—said he arrived at the family's home sometime after the 51-year-old mother of two returned from a night out early on April 16. "I told her that I just wanted her to tell me the truth about why she gave me HIV. She said she didn't have HIV," he allegedly said. He said Gaal told him their affair was over, then grabbed a knife and threatened to kill him if he didn't leave, according to court documents. "I grabbed the knife and cut her from the neck," Bonola allegedly continued. "She kept fighting … so I stabbed her in the neck to get her to stop attacking me." After dumping the body, he allegedly said he threw Gaal's laptop in the Hudson River "because she had sex videos on [it]."

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"This heinous murder left two teenagers without a mother and terrified an entire community," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement, per the Post, adding Bonola "brutally stabbed the victim over 50 times." The father of two also admitted to sending a text to Gaal's husband, reading "Your whole family is next." "In the past, she told me that she had sent a man to jail so I sent a message to her husband pretending to be that guy because I was scared," Bonola allegedly said. He was arraigned Tuesday on two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree burglary, concealment of a human corpse, and other crimes, per WNYW. Held without bail, he is due back in court on July 7. (More murder stories.)

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