Key takeaways:
- Dr. Gerhardt Konig was convicted of attempted manslaughter based on extreme mental or emotional disturbance but acquitted of second-degree attempted murder.
- The attack occurred on March 24, 2025, on the Pali Puka Trail in Oahu, where Konig allegedly tried to stab his wife with a syringe and hit her with a rock.
- Konig claimed self-defense, stating his wife attacked him first, while witnesses and his wife testified to a violent assault motivated by jealousy over an emotional affair.
A Honolulu jury found Dr. Gerhardt Konig guilty Wednesday of attempted manslaughter based on extreme mental or emotional disturbance for an attack on his wife during a birthday hike last year. The 47-year-old anesthesiologist was acquitted of the more serious charge of second-degree attempted murder after a three-week trial that featured sharply conflicting testimonies from Konig and his wife, Arielle Konig.
The incident occurred on March 24, 2025, along the Pali Puka Trail on Oahu, a cliffside path known for its scenic but remote lookout. Prosecutors said Gerhardt Konig assaulted Arielle Konig by first trying to stab her with a syringe and then striking her head with a rock. Arielle Konig testified that she feared he intended to render her unconscious before pushing her off the cliff. “I just started screaming, because, in my mind, he’s trying to knock me unconscious, to get to be able to drag me over the edge,” she told the jury.
Witnesses on the trail corroborated her account. Amanda Morris testified she saw Gerhardt Konig hitting Arielle Konig with a rock, while Sarah Buchsbaum described Arielle’s face as “covered in blood” and called 911. Police body camera footage showed other hikers assisting Arielle Konig, who sustained a skull laceration with embedded rock fragments, according to an emergency doctor.
Prosecutor Joel Garner said Konig was “obsessed” with his wife’s emotional affair with a co-worker, which had occurred three months earlier. Arielle Konig testified the couple had sought counseling and appeared to be repairing their relationship. However, Gerhardt Konig accused his wife of minimizing the affair and refusing to take accountability.
Gerhardt Konig testified in his defense that the attack was an act of self-defense. He said Arielle Konig tried to push him off the cliff, grabbed his testicles, and hit him with a rock. He claimed he wrestled the rock away and struck her twice. He denied attempting to inject her with a syringe and said he “felt horrible” about the incident. His attorney described the case as a “she said, he said” dispute and argued Konig’s actions were reflexive.
Konig’s son, Emile, testified that during a FaceTime call after the incident, his father said he would not be returning to Maui and that Arielle had been cheating on him. Emile said his father admitted he “tried to kill her,” though Gerhardt Konig disputed that he intended to confess to attempted murder.
The jury deliberated for over eight hours before delivering the unanimous verdict. Konig faces up to 20 years in prison on the attempted manslaughter charge. The couple, married since 2018, are now separated, with Arielle Konig having filed for divorce.
Before his arrest, Gerhardt Konig worked as an anesthesiologist at Anesthesia Medical Group in Hawaii and previously held positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, including assistant professor of anesthesiology and bioengineering.
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