Maui woman recalls Hawaii trail attack: ‘He’s trying to kill me’

A Maui doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on an Oahu cliffside trail took the stand in his own defense this week after his son and wife testified against him and jurors were shown body camera footage from the aftermath of the attack.

Anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig, 47, was charged with second-degree attempted murder in the March 2025 attack on his wife, nuclear engineer Arielle Konig, 37, along a hiking trail near the Nuuanu Pali Lookout on Oahu. Prosecutors allege he attacked Konig on the trail, tried to push her off the edge, attempted to inject her with a syringe and struck her in the head with a rock.

His son, Emile Konig, testified on Tuesday that on the morning of the attack, he received FaceTime calls from Gerhardt Konig. Emile Konig, who is Gerhardt Konig’s son from a previous relationship, said his father told him he “would not be making it back to Maui,” alleged Arielle Konig had been cheating and said “he tried to kill her.” The son testified his father told him his stepmother had “gotten away” and that he planned to “jump off the cliff.” He said he saw what appeared to be blood on his father’s shirt and was told it was “just her.”

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On the stand Wednesday, Gerhardt Konig described what he portrayed as a deteriorating marriage, telling jurors their relationship was “fabulous” and red flag-free until late 2024. He said he grew suspicious of his wife’s behavior and later found messages on WhatsApp with a co-worker that led him to believe she was having an affair.

Screenshot of Gerhardt Konig.

Screenshot via YouTube

Screenshot of Gerhardt Konig.

Screenshot via YouTube

He testified on Thursday that she admitted to what he described as an “emotional affair,” and that they agreed she would limit contact with the co-worker.

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Gerhardt Konig testified the argument began when Arielle Konig raised future work travel involving the same colleague, telling jurors he was not OK with it and felt they were “not on the same page.” He said that after taking a selfie near the edge, she shoved him and began calling for help. He alleged she struck him with a rock and that he hit her “two times” on the side of the head while she was squeezing his testicles. He acknowledged there was “a lot of blood” and testified he did not have a syringe.

Arielle Konig gave a sharply different account of what happened on the cliff.

She testified that after taking photos along the trail, she approached her husband and he suddenly grabbed her “forcefully” by the arms and said, “I’m so f—king sick of this s—t,” before pushing her backward toward the cliff.

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Sweeping mountain and island views from Nuuanu Pali Lookout on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

Ryan Tishken/Getty Images/iStockphoto

She said she dropped to the ground to stop the fall and tried to hold on to roots and brush as he got on top of her and attempted to move her closer to the edge. At this point, she testified, he held a syringe, but she knocked it out of his hand before he could use it. He reached into his backpack, handling what she believed to be a vial while continuing to restrain her. She said she had to pry his hand open to get the vial away from him.

She said he told her, “Shut the f—k up. Nobody is going to hear you out here. Nobody is coming to save you,” and “F—k you, you’re done, I’m so sick of your s—t, I’m so done with you,” while she fought him off.

“I was screaming … ‘Please help, he’s trying to kill me,’” she testified.

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Screenshot of Arielle Konig.

Screenshot via YouTube

The attack then allegedly escalated when he covered her mouth and began striking her head with a nearby rock. She said she was only able to break free and crawl away from him after she heard the voices of two hikers, registered nurses Sarah Buchsbaum and Amanda Morris, who came up on the scene.

Buchsbaum told jurors she and Morris had initially heard a woman yelling for help in the distance and ran toward the sound, thinking someone had fallen. But when they reached the bend in the trail, they saw Gerhardt Konig standing over Arielle Konig near the edge. She said Arielle Konig’s face was covered in blood and that she heard her yell, “He’s trying to kill me. Call 911.”

A recording of the 911 call played in court captured the moment. Buchsbaum’s voice could be heard telling the operator, “There’s a man trying to kill her … she’s covered in blood.”

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Buchsbaum said she made eye contact with Gerhardt Konig for about 30 seconds, describing that she felt he had a “cold, emotionless stare.”

Body camera footage from Honolulu Police Department Officer Kevin Chun, who responded to the scene, corroborated what Buchsbaum found.

When he encountered Arielle Konig on the trail, blood dripping down her face, Chun testified her voice “sounded weak” and that she was out of breath. Buchsbaum, Morris and a third hiker all helped her down to a wall and administered aid, wrapping her head in gauze.

Hawaii doctor Gerhardt Konig appears before a judge via video during an arraignment hearing on Monday, April 7, 2025, in Honolulu, after being indicted on suspicion of attempting to kill his wife.

Marco Garcia/AP

Crime scene tape marks the hiking trail where Hawaii doctor Gerhardt Konig allegedly attempted to kill his wife in March 2025 at the Nuuanu Pali Lookout on Oahu.

Marco Garcia/AP

An emergency room physician who treated Arielle Konig testified her head wound was a “complex” laceration extending down to the skull, with debris embedded in the injury and damage consistent with multiple blows. Arielle Konig testified she received stitches to her scalp and continues to have visible scars, pulling back her hair in court to show an area where it no longer grows.

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Gerhardt Konig testified on Thursday that he watched her “crawl away” with the hikers before he gathered their belongings and walked back up the trail. He said he was contemplating suicide and called his son, recounting what had transpired.

“I felt horrified about what I did to her, caused this to her,” he said. “I had resorted to violence against my wife, the person I love the most in the world.”

Additional evidence presented at trial focused on Gerhardt Konig’s state of mind in the months leading up to the attack. A digital forensics examiner testified that a laptop associated with him showed visits to online Reddit forums about infidelity, including posts titled “I did a horrible thing” and “just found out she cheated.” Records also showed searches related to relationship conflict and repeated visits to support forums about betrayal, along with purchases of audiobooks about affairs and repairing relationships.

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Gerhardt Konig has pleaded not guilty. The trial is ongoing.