An attempted murder trial is wrapping up for an anesthesiologist accused of trying to kill his wife during a cliff-side hike near a popular scenic lookout in Hawaii, with closing arguments expected Tuesday.
HONOLULU (AP) — An attempted murder trial is wrapping up for an anesthesiologist accused of trying to kill his wife during a cliff-side hike near a popular scenic lookout in Hawaii, with closing arguments expected Tuesday.
The trial started last month, nearly a year after Gerhardt and Arielle Konig went on a hike on the Pali Puka trail in Honolulu that ended with her bloodied and screaming that he tried to kill her. Gerhardt Konig has pleaded not guilty.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.
The couple were on a weekend trip to Hawaii’s capital city for her birthday in March 2025 while their two young sons stayed home on Maui. Near a lookout offering sweeping views, Gerhardt Konig, 47 — upset about his wife’s relationship with a coworker — tried to push her off the steep trail, bashed her head with a rock and attempted to stab her with a syringe, prosecutors said.
The trial, with testimony livestreamed by Court TV, has aired the couple’s marital problems leading up to the hike, along with their versions of what happened on the trail.
Gerhardt Konig testified that his wife was having an affair, which he confirmed by unlocking her phone while she slept. The relationship, which Arielle Konig characterized as an “emotional affair” involving flirty messages with a coworker, came up during the hike.
Arielle Konig testified that her husband grabbed her and moved her toward the cliff’s edge, but she threw herself on the ground in an attempt to hold on. He straddled her and had a syringe in his hand, she said, but she batted it away. She bit his forearm and squeezed his testicles in attempt to get him off her, she said.
Her husband denied pushing her toward the edge and testified that she hit him with a rock on the side of her face. He wrestled the rock away and hit her with it twice in self-defense, he said.
He denied having any syringes on the mountain, or trying to stab her. His defense attorney told jurors no syringe was found at the scene.
Two hikers who heard Arielle Konig’s screams helped her get down the trail.
Pali Puka, which means “pierced cliff” in Hawaiian, leads to a hole in a rock ridge through which hikers can look out over the forest to see the ocean. The trail is closed because state officials have deemed it unsafe, but hikers often enter through a small clearing, ignoring a warning sign that reads: “Area Closed! Do not go beyond this sign.”
Gerhardt Konig testified that as he watched his wife crawl away, he believed his marriage and career were over, and he decided to jump to his death. But first, he called his adult son from a previous marriage. The son told authorities that his father said he “tried to kill your stepmom” — a confession Gerhardt Konig denied having made.
He spent hours on the mountain before deciding to come down and surrender to police.
His wife has since filed for divorce.
News
I Was Just Babysitting… Until I Saw the Bruises on My Grandson’s Body and Realized Someone I Love Is a Monster.
My son Adrian and his wife Caroline had only been parents for two months, and like most new parents, they looked constantly exhausted. Caroline had dark circles under her eyes, and Adrian didn’t smile the way he used to. Still, they seemed happy, proud of their baby boy, Ethan.That Saturday morning, they asked me for […]
My Husband Beat Me While I Was Pregnant… And His Parents Laughed. They Didn’t Know I Managed to Send One Message — The Message That Would Destroy Their Entire Family.
“My husband beat me while I was pregnant and his parents laughed… but they didn’t know a single message would destroy everything.”I was six months pregnant when, at five in the morning, hell broke loose.The bedroom door slammed against the wall. Víctor, my husband, stormed in like a whirlwind. No greeting. No warning.— “Get up, […]
Chest Pain. Numb Arm. 82-Year-Old Mother in Emergency — Wife Still Said No to the Car. Biggest Mistake of Her Life.
He only asked to borrow the car for an emergency. His wife heard that his eighty two year old mother had chest pain and a numb left arm, and she still said no. At 7:42 on a freezing January morning in Hartford, Wesley Watson was standing in his kitchen waiting for the coffee to finish […]
She Thought I Was a Helpless Widow She Could Bully — Until the Police Walked In and My $4.2 Million Secret Was Revealed.
WHEN MY SON GOT MARRIED, I NEVER TOLD HIM HIS LATE FATHER HAD QUIETLY LEFT ME A $4.2 MILLION RANCH IN EASTERN WASHINGTON—AND THANK GOD I DIDN’T, BECAUSE JUST DAYS AFTER THE WEDDING, MY NEW DAUGHTER-IN-LAW SHOWED UP AT MY SEATTLE DOOR WITH A SMILE, A NOTARY, AND A STACK OF DOCUMENTS DESIGNED TO PUSH […]
My Parents Gave Their House to My Sister as a Wedding Gift — Even Though I’d Paid the Mortgage for 5 Years. When They Demanded My Lake House Next, I Said No… Then the Police Called Me
My parents gave their home as a wedding gift to my sister, even though I had been paying their mortgage for 5 years. Two months later, they wanted to move to my vacation house, so I refused them. But then… the cops called me “We’ve decided the best solution is your lake house,” my mother […]
They Burned My Back for Protecting My Sister — Today in Court, My Abusive Parents Finally Faced Justice.
“YOU NEED TO LEARN RESPECT,” My Mother Hissed, Pinning Me Down As My Stepdad Heated The Metal Rod. I Was 15 When They Scarred My Back For Defending My Little Sister. When The Judge Saw The Evidence Today, Their Perfect Family Facade Crumbled. Now They’ll Learn What Real Pain Feels Like.Part 1I stood in the […]
End of content
No more pages to load
