Ex-Lover Sought In Forest Hills Mom's Murder: Reports

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — The brutal murder of Forest Hills mother Orsolya Gaal continues to stump investigators, but police have at least one new lead: a man with whom Gaal had been in a romantic relationship, according to multiple reports.

The person being sought by police is a handyman who had "intimate knowledge" of Gaal's Juno Street house, such as where she kept a spare key, according to the New York Post.

He has not been named a suspect or even a person of interest, the Post reported; according to the Daily News, cops fear that identifying him as a suspect could lead him to "surrender with a lawyer and refuse to answer questions."

Police have now offered a $3,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who stabbed Gaal, 51, nearly 60 times early Saturday.

Gaal had attended a show in Manhattan near Lincoln Center hours earlier that night, then returned to Queens and headed to a bar near her home, according to the Daily News, which reported that authorities are now scouring her phone records to determine whom she may have met up with.

The violent nature of the attack — Gaal was stabbed 58 times in her neck, torso and left arm — had already led authorities to believe she knew her attacker, according to multiple reports.

Gaal's body was ultimately found inside a duffel bag about half a mile from her family's home, with a trail of blood leading back to the Juno Street residence, the New York Post reported.

Gaal's husband, Howard Klein, was away from the city at the time — but received a message saying "Your whole family is next," PIX11 reported.

Related coverage:

• Forest Hills Mom's Killer Texts 'Your Whole Family Is Next': Report
• Forest Hills Mom Murder: New Details Emerge, Reports Say