Verdict Reached In Trial Of Maui Doctor Accused Of Trying To Kill Wife During Birthday Hike

A assemblage connected Wednesday reached a verdict successful nan attempted execution proceedings of a Hawaii expert charged pinch trying to termination his woman during a day hike connected Oahu past year.

The verdict, which is expected to beryllium delivered soon successful unfastened court, capped a astir three-week proceedings during which Dr. Gerhardt Konig and Arielle Konig offered sharply contrasting accounts of nan events of March 24, 2025 — her birthday.

The Honolulu County assemblage deliberated for much than 8 hours.

In his closing argument, charismatic Joel Garner said Gerhardt Konig was "obsessed" pinch his wife's affectional matter pinch a co-worker erstwhile he tried to shove her from a cliff connected nan Pali Puka Trail, northeast of Honolulu.

When that failed, Garner said, he tried to stab her pinch a syringe and bashed her caput pinch a rock. The alleged onslaught ended erstwhile 2 hikers came upon nan scene, he said.

“The only point that sewage him to extremity was being caught red-handed,” Garner said.

Gerhardt Konig’s attorney, Thomas Otake, described nan allegations arsenic “she said, he said” and a “theory successful hunt of facts.” On nan stand, Gerhardt Konig denied trying to push Arielle Konig aliases inject her pinch a syringe and said he acted successful self-defense, striking her pinch a stone aft she tried to push him from nan trail.

“He had a reflex,” Otake said successful his closing argument. “He reacted, and past he felt horrible astir it.”

Dr. Gerhardt Konig and his wife, Arielle Konig.Courtesy photo

The alleged onslaught occurred 3 months aft Gerhardt Konig discovered his woman had been having nan affectional affair. They’d gone to counseling, Arielle Konig testified, and appeared to beryllium mending nan harm she said she’d caused to their relationship.

Gerhardt Konig testified that he was “devastated” by nan affair. He accused his woman of minimizing nan breach and refusing to return accountability for it.

The hubby and wife, who joined successful 2018, each testified astir what happened during nan hike.

Arielle Konig said nan incident occurred aft her hubby asked her to airs for a cliffside selfie. She became tense astir nan photo’s location, she said, and erstwhile she tried to move past him, he grabbed her by nan limb and pushed her back.

Arielle Konig testifies this month.KHNL

A struggle ensued, Arielle Konig said, and her hubby — an anesthesiologist — came astatine her pinch a syringe and told her to clasp still.

She batted it away, she said, and aft he concisely appeared to calm down, he began bashing her caput pinch a rock.

“‘Nobody’s going to perceive you retired here,’” she recalled him saying. "'Nobody’s coming to prevention you.’"

Other hikers connected nan way called 911 and said they saw a man trying to termination a woman, according to audio of nan telephone presented successful court. Police assemblage camera video played during nan proceedings showed nan women assisting Arielle Konig, whose look was covered successful blood.

Two witnesses who had called 911 thief Arielle Konig aft they heard her shriek successful bodycam video from a responding serviceman connected March 24, 2025.via KHNL

An emergency expert who tended to Arielle Konig testified that she sustained a skull laceration that reached nan bone. Pieces of stone were embedded successful nan wound, he said.

The suspect took nan guidelines for 2 days, telling nan assemblage that nan altercation happened aft he and his woman had an statement astir nan co-worker pinch whom she had nan affair.

Arielle Konig tried to push him from nan cliff, Gerhardt Konig said. She pulled him to nan ground, grabbing his testicles and striking him difficult successful nan look pinch a rock, he testified.

The assemblage was shown images of injuries that Gerhardt Konig sustained during nan incident.via KHNL

Gerhardt Konig said he wrestled nan stone distant from his woman and deed her pinch it twice.

A pathologist who testified for nan defense described Arielle Konig’s coiled arsenic a “soft-tissue injury” that did not origin a bony fracture aliases bleeding astir nan brain. “This is not a life-threatening injury,” said nan pathologist, Dr. Jonathan Arden.

Gerhardt Konig denied trying to inject her pinch a syringe and said that while he felt horrible astir what he did, he'd acted successful self-defense.

Afterward, he called his son and said he planned to return his ain life. During nan call, Emile Konig testified, his begetter told him that his woman was cheating connected him and that he'd tried to termination her.

Emile Konig, 20, took nan guidelines successful his father's attempted execution trial.via KHNL

Gerhardt Konig disputed portion of that declare successful his testimony, saying nan connection "kill" whitethorn person been utilized but that he didn't mean it arsenic a confession.

Gerhardt Konig was arrested astir 8 hours later, Garner said, after authorities launched a manhunt. Gerhardt Konig testified that he decided to move himself in.