The grisly murder of Orsolya Gaal, a mother of two, has stunned residents of the Forest Hills, Queens, neighborhood where she lived.
Ms Gaal, 51, was stabbed 58 times in the basement of her home before her killer placed her body in a duffel bag and left her remains in a nearby park early on Saturday 16 April.
Two days later, it emerged that the police had identified a person with an interest in his murder.
Here is what we know about the events leading up to Ms Gaal’s death and the police investigation.
Good Friday, April 15: Neighbor John Blankson sees Mrs. Gaal in the backyard of her Tudor-style home in Forest Hills with her dog Teddy at night.
Sources told CBS New York that Ms. Gaal attended a show at Lincoln Center that night with friends. Her youngest son, Leo, 13, stayed home.
Husband Howard Klein, 53, and eldest son Jamie, 17, were reportedly in Oregon looking at college options for when he graduated from high school.
She later sat in a bar near her home for 40 minutes apparently waiting for someone to show up, before returning home alone sometime after midnight.
Police believe a man known to her who had access to her home on Juno St showed up some time after that. It is believed that he entered through a back door and there were no signs of forced entry. This person has been identified as a ‘person of interest’ in the case, unnamed police sources said.
Ms. Gaal is stabbed 58 times in the torso, neck, and arms, and sustains defensive injuries to her palm and fingers. The ferocity of the attack leads the police to suspect that it was carried out by someone who knew her.
Surveillance footage shows a person dragging a duffel bag containing Ms. Gaal’s body.
(Supplied)
Saturday, April 16: At 4:30 am, surveillance cameras at a doorbell on 75th Avenue capture a person carrying a duffel bag down the street.
Police believe that Ms. Gaal’s killer stuffed her remains into the bag and dumped them about half a mile from her home, near the corners of Jackie Robinson Parkway and Metropolitan Avenue.
Just after 8 a.m., dog walker Glenn Van Nostrand, 51, stumbles upon the bag after his two Rhodesian Ridgebacks are attracted to the scent.
Mr Van Nostrand said the new york post he looked inside and thought it might have been a mannequin at first. He quickly realized it was a body and called 911 at 8:11 a.m.
The victim has no identification and police trace a trail of blood to the family’s home.
They find 13-year-old Leo home alone on the top floor of the three-story house. He is taken away in handcuffs for questioning at a local police station, before being released later that day.
Mr. Klein, who founded and runs a boutique financial firm, tells police he receives a threatening text message from his wife’s mobile phone, warning her, “Your whole family is next.” The killer alludes that Mrs. Gaal was responsible for sending him to prison.
Mr. Klein travels back to New York from Portland, Oregon with his son Jamie and tells him The charge: “Our lives are at risk.”
The family has not returned to the family home, which is being treated as a crime scene.
Police say Orsolya Gaal’s killer sent her husband Howard Klein a threatening text
(Facebook)
Sunday, April 17: Residents of the affluent neighborhood of Queens express their alarm over a crime so shocking that takes place in a family home.
Local resident Nick Bais tells The charge:: “Everyone is in suspense because there is a murderer who has just massacred someone a few meters from our houses, and he is still on the run.”
Police maintain a presence outside the Tudor-style house.
Tributes flow in to Gaal, a Hungarian native who is believed to have met Klein while working 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 traveling and attending live concerts.
Monday April 18: The police return to the house in the early afternoon, taking an iMac computer and several bags of evidence.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that the NYPD has identified a “person of interest” in the case. He is described as a man who was known to Mrs. Gaal and had access to her home on Juno St.
Police sources reveal that her husband reported Ms. Gaal missing in May 2020.
The charge reported that Mr. Klein called 911 shortly after 7 am to say his wife had not returned after going for a walk around 12:30 am the night before.
He called back about 30 minutes later to say his wife had returned safely.
The medical examiner’s office confirmed that Ms. Gaal’s death was classified as a homicide, due to “cutting force injuries to the neck”.
Tuesday April 19: Police say the investigation into Ms Gaal’s death is ongoing. They have yet to name a suspect or make an arrest.
Officers go around the neighborhood putting up signs announcing a $3,500 reward for information.
The sign reads: “Up to $3,500 reward for homicide information,” along with a photo of the Klein-Gaal home.
“On Saturday, April 16, 2022, at approximately 12:40 am… An unknown perpetrator stabbed 51-year-old Orsolya Gaal multiple times, causing her death. The victim was found inside a duffel bag along Metropolitan Avenue in Queens,” police say.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 577 8477.
the new york post reported that police wanted to speak to a handyman who had previously worked on the house and who may have had access to the property.
A police source said The charge: “[Detectives] Don’t think it was a planned murder.
“He left a trail of blood five blocks from the house. It was like a trail of breadcrumbs,” added the source.
“If you want to kill someone, try to do it a little cleaner, prepare a little more. He didn’t go with something to move his body. He took something from the house.
An electrician who did work on the Queens home where Orsolya Gaal was killed says the home was equipped with an advanced surveillance system.
arrijuna jack said dailymail.comthe property on Juno St, Forest Hills had cameras throughout the property.
Mr. Jack said that the house had a separate entrance leading to the kitchen and basement.
Wednesday April 20: An NYPD spokeswoman says the independent No persons of interest have been identified.
“The investigation is ongoing, detectives are analyzing all the information that comes in.”
NYPD detectives returned to the neighborhood that night to search for 44-year-old David Bonola. Bonola was one of the three men Gaal spoke with on the night of his murder, and reportedly a former lover of his.
Mr. Bonola reportedly approached the detectives’ car around 11:30 a.m. and said, “I heard they’re looking for me.” He was transported to the 112th Police Station where he was questioned and finally arrested.
The man allegedly made a full confession to police. Bonola said that he had previously worked at Gaal’s house and knew where to find the key. He allegedly said that he allowed him to sneak into the house and stab Ms. Gaal without alerting her 13-year-old son upstairs.