Transcript

The body was found in a suitcase, and the horrifying mystery of the 4-kilometer long blood trail

From Casefile True Crime · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 20 min · 3,089 words · 20 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "The body was found in a suitcase, and the horrifying mystery of the 4-kilometer long blood trail", an episode of Casefile True Crime published December 7, 2024 (20 min, about 3,089 words). It mentions 12 people, works and ideas, including Orolia Gaul, David Bonola, Howard Kleene, Queens, Forest Park.

What this episode is about

In April 2022, a man walking his dog in Queens, New York, stumbled upon a duffel bag containing a dismembered female body, leading police to uncover a blood trail that extended over 2.7 miles to the home of a local couple. The investigation revealed the victim suffered extensive stab wounds, prompting a search for her identity and the circumstances surrounding her gruesome murder.

Key takeaways

  • In Forest Hill, even Spider-Man couldn't save a neighborhood from shockingly dark secrets lurking behind closed doors.
  • 58 stab wounds suggest not a crime of passion, but a rage-filled vendetta; love can indeed turn deadly.
  • Sometimes, a peaceful community can hide eerie truths; a pristine facade masks chaos waiting to be uncovered.
  • A stray dog led to a grisly discovery, proving that curiosity can occasionally unlock horrifying mysteries.
  • In a world of social media updates, a 1:36 a.m. tweet distances a man's alibi from his wife's fate.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 3:00: Aaron Glenn, Orolia Gaul, Howard Kleene, Queens
  2. – 6:00: Orolia Gaul, Howard Kleene, Queens, The Budapest School of Economics
  3. – 9:00: Jaimie
  4. – 12:00: David Bonola, Queens, Forest Park, Lincoln Center
  5. – 18:00: David Bonola, Forest Park

Notable quotes from "The body was found in a suitcase, and the horrifying mystery of the 4-kilometer long blood trail"

  • Forest Hill a peaceful neighborhood in Queens New York with a population of about 990,000 is conveniently located near the city center and is known for its easy access to two famous Parks.
    about Queens · at
  • Attic Barefoot and in pajamas he seemed confused and unaware of what had happened Leo said his father Howard and his brother jimie were in Oregon and his mother had gone to a concert the previous night since he went to bed early he.
    about Dr. Jeff Leo · at
  • Perpetrator the officers contacted Howard informing him about his wife's death at the time he and his 17-year-old son Jaimie were in Oregon preparing for Jaime's College…
    about Jaimie · at
  • Importantly Howard provided another crucial lead he mentioned that early Saturday morning he had received a series of text messages from orolia phone which read your wife put…
    about Howard Kleene · at
  • Events leading up to the crime on the day before the crime Friday April 15 2022 orolia told her friends and son that she planned to go to the Opera with some friends that…
    about Lincoln Center · at
  • Contacted while at the Opera quickly one of them Drew significant attention from the police this man was a former handyman who had worked at orolia house interestingly the…
    about David Bonola · at
  • Through examining messages and call history the police discovered that over the past 2 years David and orolia had maintained a secret romantic relationship David often…
    about Orolia Gaul · at
  • Surveillance video showed that his left hand was clearly injured and heavily bandaged after inquiring at nearby clinics the police found that David had visited a clinic named…
    about ctmd · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Orolia Gaul — Person · Victim / central figure in the case narrative · 2 mentions · first at
    Her murder is the core event; her relationships, movements, and phone records drive the investigation and motive.
  • David Bonola — Person · Perpetrator / primary suspect who confesses and is convicted · 2 mentions · first at
    Identified via phone records and prior handyman work; evidence (boots, bandages) and confession lead to plea and sentencing.
  • Howard Kleene — Person · Husband of the victim; key witness/provider of leads · 2 mentions · first at
    Owns the home tied to the blood trail; provides alibi (Oregon) and reports threatening texts sent from Orolia’s phone.
  • Jaimie — Person · Victim’s son; part of alibi context with Howard · 2 mentions · first at
    Was with Howard in Oregon during the estimated time of death, helping rule them out as suspects.
  • Dr. Jeff Leo — Person · Victim’s son; initial on-scene witness questioned by police · 1 mention · first at
    Found in the attic during the police search; his statements help establish timeline and who was/wasn’t home.
  • Aaron Glenn — Person · Discoverer of the body / reporting witness · 2 mentions · first at
    Finds the duffel bag and calls 911, triggering the police response and initial crime scene discovery.
    16th 2022 New Yorkers were greeted with a fresh crisp morning just past 7:00 a.m. a man named Glenn was leisurely walking his dog enjoying his weekend as he passed the street…

Companies & orgs

  • The Budapest School of Economics — Company · Affiliation · 1 mention · first at
    The Budapest School of Economics is where the victim completed her degree in international business administration.
    September 12th 1970 in Austria she had a passion for music and travel from a young age in 1994 at 23 she completed her degree in international business administration at The…
  • ctmd — Company · Medical Facility · 3 mentions
    ctmd is the clinic where the suspect sought treatment for his hand injuries.

Places & events

  • Queens — Place · Setting · 3 mentions · first at
    Queens is the borough where the crime took place and where the victim lived.
  • Forest Park — Place · Setting · 3 mentions · first at
    Forest Park is where the killer abandoned the suitcase containing the victim's body.
    Into a suitcase and left the house around 4:30 a.m. he took advantage of the darkness pulling the suitcase for about an hour to a location near Forest Park where he abandoned it by the roadside when no one was around the police conducted a.
  • Lincoln Center — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    Lincoln Center is where the victim attended an opera on the night of the crime.
  • Richmond Hill — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    Richmond Hill is where the suspect lived, just a short drive from the victim's house.
    A local handyman to repair their air conditioner this man was David bonola 44 years old David originally from Mexico had illegally immigrated to the US in 2001 and had lived…

Full transcript with timestamps

Forest Hill a peaceful neighborhood in Queens New York with a population of about 990,000 is conveniently located near the city center and is known for its easy access to two famous Parks Flushing Meadows and Forest Park if you're a Spider-Man fan you might recognize this area as the home of Peter Parker in the comics and movies however on a fateful day in April 2022 while Spider-Man was busy filming a shocking crime quietly unfolded shattering the Tranquility of this neighborhood welcome to Crime documentary files on the morning of Saturday April 16th 2022 New Yorkers were greeted with a fresh crisp morning just past 7:00 a.m. a man named Glenn was leisurely walking his dog enjoying his weekend as he passed the street corner Glenn noticed his dog suddenly became alert ears perked up refusing to move forward and barking furiously at a black duffel bag on the roadside curious Glenn approached the

bag and discovered it had some red stains seeping out initially thinking someone had dumped a stray cat or dog he nudged the bag and found it quite heavy he unzipped it and immediately saw a pair of pale human legs still in shock and thinking it might be a mannequin he unzipped the bag completely only to be horrified by the sight of a human body inside Glenn quickly called 911 the police arrived at the scene at 8:11 a.m. they found the black duffel bag containing the body of a woman upon examination the medical examiner discovered numerous stab wounds on the victim's neck torso and arms totaling 58 injuries the killer had folded the victim's body and stuffed it into the duffel bag although the victim had no identification on her the police soon found a lead blood from the bag had seeped onto the side sidewalk creating a trail that led them 2.7 Mi away to a house at 7224 this house a three-story property

valued at $2.1 million belonged to Howard kleene and his wife orolia Gaul they had been married for many years and had two sons Leo 13 and Jamie 17 after knocking repeatedly with no response officers circled to the back but still saw no one through the windows given the blood trail LED right to this house the police suspected the female victim might be orolia and the killer could still be inside deciding to force entry the police discovered a few blood stains leading to the basement in the basement they found more blood and a kitchen knife since the doors and windows of the house showed no signs of forced entry and nothing seemed to be missing the police believed the killer might have been someone the victim knew the 58 stab wounds suggested the killer acted with intense hatred meanwhile another team of officers found Leo the 13-year-old in the Attic Barefoot and in pajamas he seemed confused and unaware of what had

happened Leo said his father Howard and his brother jimie were in Oregon and his mother had gone to a concert the previous night since he went to bed early he didn't know if his mother had returned the police handcuffed Leo and took him in for questioning however a few hours later they determined the boy was not involved in his mother's death the investigators identified the victim as orolia Gul 51 orolia Gul was born on September 12th 1970 in Austria she had a passion for music and travel from a young age in 1994 at 23 she completed her degree in international business administration at The Budapest School of Economics at a local Christmas party she met Howard a promising young man Howard then 25 was working at an investment Bank in Budapest they fell in love at first sight and later traveled to Thailand together when Howard decided to return to Columbia University for his master's degree in finance he invited

orolia to join him and proposed to her after moving to New York they quickly married they initially lived in Manhattan where Howard founded a small financial consulting firm and orolia focused on their family after their first son jimie was born she became a full-time Homemaker four years later their second son Leo was born during their 20 plus years of marriage the family LED an enviable life frequently traveling to various countries in Europe and Asia in August 2012 the couple bought a five-bedroom five b home in Queens New York for $167 million to friends and neighbors the family was kind and never had conflicts with anyone so when news of or silia's murder spread everyone was shocked neighbors couldn't believe that orolia whom they had just greeted the previous day was found stuffed in a duffel bag it felt like a scene straight out of a movie the um somebody aillard running around just torted someone yards away

from Mar aler in stove hard I was just shun brother Shunk I know H said mve up some here for 30 years choose a lovely lady always very attentative to her family her kids just an amazing person and she's said you miss from all of us that knew her through interviewing the surrounding neighbors the officers obtained a crucial lead a neighbor living across from oralia's house reported that their security camera had captured a strange scene on the day of the incident at around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday a man dressed in black was seen pulling a black suitcase under the dim street lights the shape and size of the the suitcase closely resembled the one found by the police the police suspected that orolia was inside that suitcase and the Man in Black was likely the perpetrator the officers contacted Howard informing him about his wife's death at the time he and his 17-year-old son Jaimie were in Oregon preparing for

Jaime's College admission next year upon receiving the call from the police the Father and Son immediately can their plans and changed their flights to return to New York facing orolia sudden death Howard and his son were in complete Shock by checking phone locations and their schedules the police found that Howard had posted a tweet from his phone at 1:36 a.m. on Saturday from Portland Oregon considering the distance between Portland and New York is 2,800 miles and even by plane it takes at least 5 hours the police concluded that Howard and jime could have committed the crime since orolia time of death was between 12:20 and 1:00 a.m. thus they quickly ruled them out as suspects more importantly Howard provided another crucial lead he mentioned that early Saturday morning he had received a series of text messages from orolia phone which read your wife put me in jail many years ago now I'm back don't

call the police or I will kill your entire family and you will be next these messages seem to have been sent by the killer after murdering orolia using her phone but the question remained who was this person and what Grudge did they hold against orolia typically when a wife is murdered the husband is the first suspect although the police had clearly stated that Howard was not a suspect in this case many media Outlets continued to criticize him relentlessly while waiting for the investigation to proceed Howard had to endure aroundthe clock media scrutiny occasionally rude individuals would directly accuse him of killing or solia me tellal you can look at it that's about it okay let me let me take your PR okay you're not taking M the I want to take your I want to see your prod I take pictures you can see my yeah I want to see I want to take pictures of okay no you don't no you don't you you can't

touch me why if you touch me if you touch me I'm going to call the police okay if you touch me I'm going to call the pr I actually your name my name is Robert my name heart to me I'm not giving exhausted both physically and mentally Howard finally reached his breaking point after a few days and erupted on the spot despite the police having leads from security camera footage and text messages the investigation was progressing slowly through interviews with ulia's family and friends the police reconstructed the events leading up to the crime on the day before the crime Friday April 15 2022 orolia told told her friends and son that she planned to go to the Opera with some friends that evening at Lincoln Center in New York however by examining orolia phone records the police discovered a darker side to this seemingly pure and kind woman that no one knew about indeed she did attend the Opera at Lincoln Center that night but

during the performance she was also in contact with three different men none of whom were her husband to protect ulia's privacy the police did not disclose the specific contents of these messages after the Opera orolia took the subway back to her Queen's neighborhood by then it was around 11:30 p.m. instead of heading straight home she stopped by a small bar she frequented called Station House there as usual orolia ordered a Moscow Mule and sat in a corner of the bar slowly enjoying her drink alone the bar staff noted that she left around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday and nothing seemed out of the ordinary the police believed that about 10 minutes after she arrived home around 12:30 orolia either opened the door for the killer or the killer let himself in using a key hidden in the backyard grill suggesting that the killer was very familiar with her they went down to the basement of the house an argument may

have ensued and the killer used a kitchen knife from ulia's house to stab her multiple times killing her on the spot to mislead the police the killer used ulia's phone to send text messages to Howard then he stuffed ulia's body into a suitcase and left the house around 4:30 a.m. he took advantage of the darkness pulling the suitcase for about an hour to a location near Forest Park where he abandoned it by the roadside when no one was around the police conducted a thorough search of forest park near where the suitcase was found and eventually discovered a Blood Stained jacket the blood on the jacket matched orolia they speculated that the killer discarded the jacket in the Park after abandoning the suitcase to find new leads the police began investigating the three men orolia had contacted while at the Opera quickly one of them Drew significant attention from the police this man was a former

handyman who had worked at orolia house interestingly the police found a note on ulia's refrigerator that read find a new handyman why did orolia need a new handyman what had gone wrong with the previous one tracing the former handy man the police learned that 2 years before the crime orolia family had hired a local handyman to repair their air conditioner this man was David bonola 44 years old David originally from Mexico had illegally immigrated to the US in 2001 and had lived there for over 20 years as an undocumented immigrant by 2022 due to family conflicts he had left his wife and two children and was living alone in Richmond Hill Queens just a 12-minute drive from orolia house through examining messages and call history the police discovered that over the past 2 years David and orolia had maintained a secret romantic relationship David often commented in Spanish under ulia's Facebook photos

expressing his affection their illicit relationship involved multiple breakups and reconciliations remaining unresolved and secretive throughout the two years their last breakup was two weeks before the crime checking David's police records the officers found that he had a problematic personal history he had been reported multiple times for harassment and stalking women a girl working at Starbucks reported that David would sit in their Cafe for hours drinking coffee and making remarks about the girls working there importantly he didn't stop at verbal comments when paying he often left love notes for the girls at night after their shifts he secretly followed them he even proposed to at least two girls at the cafe unable to tolerate the harassment the girls called the police several times but each time David had already paid and left by the time the police arrived reviewing security cameras in

David's neighborhood the police found footage from Saturday morning the day of the crime at 6:05 a.m. showing David wearing a black mask and walking briskly toward his apartment this timing matched the surveillance video from earlier at 4:30 a.m. at 4:30 David had just left ulia's house still wearing a jacket notably the surveillance video showed that his left hand was clearly injured and heavily bandaged after inquiring at nearby clinics the police found that David had visited a clinic named ctmd the Doctor Who treated him informed the police that David had several deep cuts on his hand to prevent further infection the doctor referred David to a nearby hospital for treatment although David was the main suspect the police did not arrest him immediately they secured a search warrant from the court and quietly surveilled him 3 days after the crime on April 19th the garbage collection day in David's

neighborhood the police had been watching closely in the afternoon when the garbage truck arrived and collected David's trash several officers intercepted the truck nearby and searched it on the spot in the foul smelling trash they found a pair of brown work boots that David had just discarded along with several white trash bags the blood on the boots was confirmed to be orilia in the white trash bags the police found bandages used to wrap David's injuries in a bloodstained short sleeve shirt the next day April 20th a large police force armed with a search warrant surrounded David's apartment before they could even enter David approached a police car and told the officer I heard you're looking for me the officers immediately took David into custody putting him in a white coat and transported him to the station for interrogation media reporters quickly followed the police and filmed the entire

arrest I hope what you say when faced with police interrogation David quickly recounted the events he revealed that he and orolia had been secretly dating for over 2 years but their relationship was tumultuous marked by frequent breakups and reconciliations in early April orolia once again proposed ending their relationship but David refused to accept it on April 16th in an attempt to salvage their relationship David entered ulia's home around 12:30 a.m. trying to persuade her to change her mind his sudden appearance greatly displeased orolia as her 13-year-old son Leo was still upstairs to keep their secret from her son she led David to the basement to talk their conversation quickly escalated into a heated argument or Solio was adamant about ending things with David in a fit of rage David went upstairs grabbed a knife from the kitchen returned to the basement and stabbed orolia multiple times afterward he took

ulia's phone and sent threatening messages to Howard hoping to mislead the police investigation later after finding a sports duffel bag in the house David stuffed ulia's body inside and dragged it to Forest Park David's initial confession largely aligned with the police investigation findings however the very next day David suddenly changed his story this time he claimed he went to orolia house not to salvage their relationship but because he discovered she had infected him with HIV he said he came to confront her after arguing in the basement David alleged that orolia went to the kitchen for the knife threatening to kill him he claimed he wrestled the knife way and stabbed her in self-defense naturally the police didn't believe his deceitful words in April 2022 faced with second deegree murder charges David pleaded not guilty 7 months later on November 2nd 2022 following his lawyer's advice David

reluctantly agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors his charge was reduced from second degree murder to first-degree manslaughter on November 16th 2022 the judge sentenced David 44 to 25 years in prison in a media Interview police chief Belinda stated that although they had sufficient evidence and were confident they could secure a harsher sentence for David both orolia and David's families expressed a desire to quickly close this tragic chapter and move on with their lives therefore the police ultimately agreed to the compromise between both parties case been any different than any of the other or terrific cases that your your officers had to deal with every homicide every homicide Cuts deep uh so no this is not different in that way um I think the interesting part about this is that on the m s one uh the victim pleaded to the top Down's getting an AC attemp More Than manslaughter uh and so

with M respect it is a just result after the case concluded many internet users focused their criticism on orolia while making little comment about the perpetrator David they condemned orolia for her immoral lifestyle her deceit and for cheating on her husband which they believed led to the subsequent events while there is some truth to these accusations the complexities of marriage and family issues often run much deeper as the victim of this crime perhaps orolia deserves more empathy when being judged ultimately David the Killer is the one who deserves condemnation this story serves as a reminder that every action has consequences and sometimes poor choices can lead to irrevocable tragedies instead of just criticizing or judging maybe we should take a moment to reflect on the values of honesty trust and responsibility in relationships what are your thoughts on this case do you believe orolia deserves

criticism for her personal mistakes or should we focus more on David's criminal actions share your opinions in the comments below below and join the discussion about the lessons we can learn from this heartbreaking story see you in the next video on crime documentary files where we bring you real stories and deep insights into crime and justice

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The body was found in a suitcase, and the horrifying mystery of the 4-kilometer long blood trail"?

David Bonola (Guest), Howard Kleene, Orolia Gaul, Belinda (Guest).

What is "The body was found in a suitcase, and the horrifying mystery of the 4-kilometer long blood trail" about?

In April 2022, a man walking his dog in Queens, New York, stumbled upon a duffel bag containing a dismembered female body, leading police to uncover a blood trail that extended over 2.7 miles to the home of a local couple. The investigation revealed the victim suffered extensive stab wounds, prompting a search for her identity and the circumstances surrounding her gruesome murder.

What is mentioned in this Casefile True Crime episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Orolia Gaul, David Bonola, Howard Kleene, Queens, Forest Park, Jaimie. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The body was found in a suitcase, and the horrifying mystery of the 4-kilometer long blood trail"?

The episode runs 20 min; the transcript is about 3,089 words in 20 timestamped sections.

More from Casefile True Crime

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 29, 2026.