Orsolya Gaal former handyman lover sought as person of interest as Forest Hills mom had also been texting other mystery men prior to her murder.
A former handyman lover of a slain Queens married mother of two is being sought as a person of interest in the woman’s murder.
The man, who has not yet been formally identified as a person of interest or suspect in the slaying of Orsolya Gaal, 51, is believed to have had a romantic relationship with the Hungarian emigre before the affair went ended, law-enforcement sources told the nypost.
The unidentified man according to police sources had intimate knowledge of the Forest Hills home — including where the family kept a spare key.
It’s unclear when the relationship began and ended, but according to sources familiar with the case, the man knew where the family kept a spare key at the family $2m Forest Hills Tudor home and would have been able to access the home without breaking in.
Gaal was stabbed nearly 60 times sometime in the early hours Saturday inside the front of the home, with her corpse then taken to the basement, sources and authorities told the nypost. The slain woman was stashed in a black Bauer hockey bag similar to one belonging to her kids, with the pouch containing her body before being dragged for half-mile, while leaving behind a trail of blood, before discarding the bag along the street.
Often flirted on Facebook: Handyman lover arrested in Forest Hills mom murder
Attack was personal and fueled by anger
Police believe the killer knew Gaal because there were no signs of a break-in, and considering the violent nature of the crime, they suspect the attack was personal and fueled by anger specifically toward her, sources said.
The slaying did not appear to be pre-meditated, sources told the nypost.
‘[Detectives] don’t think it was a planned murder,’ a law-enforcement source told the outlet.
‘He left a blood trail for five blocks from the house,’ the source said.
‘I’m sure with that kind of blood, there’s lots of DNA there,’ the source added. ‘The killer’s DNA has gotta be in that blood. It’s not a clean scene.’
On Friday evening, Gaal headed out with friends to see a show at NYC‘s Lincoln Center before returning to Queens around midnight and making her way to a bar in her neighborhood, where she hung out for about 40 minutes alone, apparently waiting for someone, police sources said.
Samson Cornejo, whose father owns 5 Burro Cafe on Austin Street, said Gaal was a regular at the watering hole but added he’s not sure if she was there late Friday.
Mystery men text exchanges
‘Her house is a 10-minute walk. … She comes here, y’know, she’s been here before. She used to come with some Russian ladies,’ Cornejo told the nypost.
‘I saw the bag, where they found it, after I left that night. I drove by it after leaving here. I couldn’t believe when I heard. It smacked me when I saw her picture!’
In May 2020, Gaal was briefly reported missing to police after her husband called 911 and said she’d gone for a walk around midnight and wasn’t home by the time he woke up the next morning.
Cops are also looking to speak with several men Gaal had been texting with before her death, sources told the nypost, as a $3,500 reward in exchange for tips has now been offered.
