HI v. Gerhardt Konig: Trouble in Paradise Trial
An anesthesiologist is standing trial after he allegedly tried to kill his wife while they were on a hiking trail in Hawaii.
Gerhardt Konig listens to opening statements on the first day of his trial. (Court TV)
Gerhardt Konig is charged with second-degree attempted murder for the alleged assault on his wife, Arielle Konig, at the Pali Lookout on March 24, 2025.
Arielle Konig told officers that the couple was walking on the trail when Gerhardt Konig asked her to take a selfie along the edge of the trail, along a steep mountain. After saying she didn’t feel comfortable, Arielle Konig began to walk away. Gerhardt Konig then allegedly yelled for her to come back before pushing her into the bushes.
Arielle Konig managed to get away again; Gerhardt Konig then allegedly picked up a rock and used it to hit her head approximately 10 times, “while also grabbing the back of her hair and smashing her face into the ground.” Arielle Konig also told the police that she saw her husband take two syringes from his bag and attempt to use them on her.
Two women witnessed the attack after running toward the sound of Arielle Konig screaming, “Help! Help me!” They told officers they saw the victim on her back with Gerhart Konig on top of her, hitting her in the head.
After the alleged attack, Arielle Konig filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against the defendant. In her petition for divorce, Arielle Konig said her husband had accused her of having an affair and that he had sexually abused and assaulted her.
DAILY TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS
DAY 5 – 3/27/26
DAY 4 – 3/25/26
- LIVESTREAM: HI v. Gerhardt Konig – Day 4 | Trouble in Paradise Trial
- Kevin Chun, Honolulu Police Department
- Testified to bodycamera footage from the incident and described his arrival at the trail and actions while assessing the scene.
- Observed the alleged victim, Arielle Konig, appearing weak, out of breath and disoriented and noticed other hikers were assisting her.
- Collected details about the suspect and the environment as he worked to determine whether a crime had occurred.
- WATCH: Doctor’s Wife Seen Disoriented After Alleged Assault By Husband: Bodycam
- Brittany Copp, evidence specialist, Honolulu Police Department
- Walked the jury through photos she took of the trail, which showed the layout of the scene, including the main trail, side trail, a “hole in the bush,” and a nearby cliff area.
- Identified multiple areas with what appeared to be blood-like stains on leaves, branches and the ground, documenting them with close-up images.
- Collected key evidence, including a rock believed to be connected to the attack, a piece of clothing and several swabs from the suspected blood stains.
- During cross-examination, she acknowledged that the rock that she photographed may have been moved before she documented it.
- Mohammed Salameh, evidence specialist, Honolulu Police Department
- Assigned to photograph Gerhardt Konig and collect a DNA reference sample using a buccal swab from the inside of his cheeks.
- Identified photographs he took of the defendant at the time of the swab.
- During cross-examination, he confirmed the photos were taken approximately 31 hours after an earlier reference point highlighted by the defense.
- Officer Chauncey Nicola, Honolulu Police Department
- Testified to his role in locating and apprehending Gerhardt Konig.
- While driving back from a mountain lookout in an unmarked van, he spotted the defendant, who appeared to have blood on his shirt, and chased him into a grassy area where a struggle ensued before Gerhardt Konig was arrested.
- Documented the arrest with photographs and secured the suspect’s backpack as evidence.
- Officer Riley Borges, Honolulu Police Department
- Assisted in the search for Gerhart Konig on the Pali Puka trail on March 24, 2024.
- Observed the defendant fleeing from brush onto the road and joined in the pursuit with other officers; he helped to subdue the defendant after he resisted arrest, using muscle and pain-compliance techniques.
- Officer Asten Koki, Honolulu Police Department
- Lead investigator in the case.
- Detailed evidence collection and documentation of the evidence from the trail, including a blood-stained rock and a black backpack containing personal items and an iPhone.
- Testified to the chain of custody for all evidence, including a second bag recovered from Maui that contained medical supplies linked to the defendant.
- Oversaw multiple search warrants, delegated investigative tasks and coordinated with other agencies.
- Det. Tracy Spacek, Honolulu Police Department
- Testified to the collection and documentation of physical evidence on the trail, including a blood-stained rock and a black backpack containing personal items and an iPhone.
- Explained the chain of custody for all evidence, including a second bag recovered from Maui that contained medical supplies linked to the defendant.
- Oversaw multiple search warrants, delegated investigative tasks to other officers and coordinated with other agencies.
- Confirmed follow-ups with hospital staff and reviewed reports from assisting detectives.
DAY 3 – 3/24/26
- LIVESTREAM: HI v. Gerhardt Konig – Day 3 | Trouble in Paradise Trial
- Arielle Konig, Defendant’s wife and alleged victim
- Shares two children with the defendant, ages 3 and 5.
- Went for a hike in March 2025 to celebrate her birthday. Gerhardt planned it and she had never been on the hike.
- They did not hike the entire trail; she was uncomfortable and didn’t want to keep going.
- Gerhardt wanted to take a selfie with the cliff in the background; she was uncomfortable.
- Gerhardt grabbed her by the arm and began pushing her towards the cliff. They wound up struggling on the ground, and at one point she saw he had a syringe in his hand.
- Gerhardt attacked her with a rock.
- Conceded that she had been having an emotional affair with a coworker and that Gehardt had found out about it, calling her a “lying bitch” and a “whore.”
- Moved money from the couple’s joint account to a new one with only her name four days before asking her doctor to add traumatic brain injury to the list of injuries she suffered.
- MORE: Arielle Konig testifies defendant told her, ‘Nobody’s coming to save you’
- Dr. Whitney Carlton, Acute care surgeon
- On duty in March 2025 and part of the trauma team that treated Arielle Konig.
- No skull or face fracture; her thumb was fractured.
- Katrina Comeau, Honolulu Police Department
- Used drone at the scene to look for the assault suspect, but did not find anyone.
- Kevin Chung, Honolulu Police Department
- Saw three women coming down the trail: Sarah, Amanda and Arielle.
- Took statements from Amanda and Sarah.
- One of the women (Arielle) had injuries to her head.
- The jury saw bloody photos of Arielle.
DAY 2 – 3/20/26
- LIVESTREAM: HI v. Gerhardt Konig – Day 2 | Trouble in Paradise Trial
- Veronica Demelo, police evidence specialist, Honolulu Police Department
- Collected clothing from Gerhardt Konig; held up the items to show the jury in court.
- Photos shown to the jury showed Gerhardt Konig with injuries to his face.
- Garrick Baligad, evidence specialist, Honolulu Police Department
- The jury saw photos of Arielle Konig’s injuries.
- Vance Lime, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement
- Searched the area, described the terrain along the trail.
- Stopped the search around 4, planned to restart at 8
- The tree canopy was thick; conditions were muddy, wet and slippery.
DAY 1 – 3/19/26
- LIVESTREAM: HI v. Gerhardt Konig – Day 1 | Trouble in Paradise Trial
- Joel Garner delivered opening statements for the state.
- Witnesses saw Gerhardt Konig holding a rock and hitting his wife in the head with it.
- Gerhardt Konig and his wife were traveling for her birthday, which he had planned out.
- He tried to bash his wife in the head multiple times with the rock after she refused to stand at the edge of a cliff with him.
- Phone, syringe and other items were never recovered.
- Gerhardt Konig told his son that he tried to kill Arielle Konig but that she got away; Gerhardt Konig said that his wife had been cheating on him for months.
- WATCH: Defendant Said ‘I’m Sick Of This S***’ Before Attempting to Kill Wife: State
- Thomas Otake delivered opening statements for the defense.
- Gerhardt Konig is falsely accused and never confessed to his son on the phone.
- Arielle Konig was having an affair with a married man she worked with, Gerhardt Konig wanted her to quit her job so she wouldn’t be around him.
- Arielle Konig hit Gerhardt Konig with a rock, and he hit her back in retaliation.
- There was no premeditated plan, and there were no syringes.
- WATCH: ‘Unfaithful, Unwilling, Untrue’: Defense Points to Wife in Cliffside Attempted Murder
- Gerhardt Konig could be seen crying during opening statements.
- WATCH: Doctor Accused of Trying to Kill Wife Breaks Down in Court
- Amanda Morris, Eyewitness
- Was on a hike with her friend, Sarah, when she heard a woman screaming ‘Help me.” She saw a woman on her back and a man on top of her, hitting her with a rock.
- The woman was covered in blood and had big gashes on her head.
- She did not see any syringes at the scene.
- MORE: Blood-covered Arielle Konig screamed ‘He’s trying to kill me’: Eyewitnesses
- Sarah Buchsbaum, Eyewitness
- Heard a woman screaming for help and started running in the direction of the screams.
- Saw a man standing near the edge of the cliff and a woman crawling towards them. The man had a rock in his hand.
- Placed 911 call.
- Described the man as having a cold look in his eyes.
- WATCH: ‘Cold Look in His Eyes’ Witness Recalls Alleged Attempted Murder of Wife
- Officer Alan Oku, Jr., Honolulu Police Department, homicide enforcement
- Canvassed the area for a suspect and made diagrams of the hiking area.
- Did not find phone, wallet, purse, vials or syringe.
- WATCH: Bodycam Footage Shows Cliff Where Wife Allegedly Attacked
Wife of Hawaii doctor takes stand exactly 1 year after he allegedly tried to kill her
Arielle Konig took the stand on Tuesday to testify against her husband, anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig, exactly one year after he allegedly tried to kill her by pushing her off a cliff during a hike in Hawaii.
“I walked up to him, he grabbed me really forcibly by my upper arms and he said, ‘I’m so f****** sick of this s***. Get back over there.’ And he starts pushing me back towards the cliff,” she said during her dramatic testimony.
She testified that Gerhardt Konig attempted to stab her with a syringe and, when that failed, she said he repeatedly bashed her head with a rock.
“He’s saying, like, ‘You’re done. We’re done with you. We don’t need you anymore. You’re done. You’re done,'” she said on the stand.
Gerhardt Konig, who worked with the Anesthesia Medical Group in Hawaii and was previously an anesthesiologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is charged with second-degree attempted murder.
Prosecutors are accusing the doctor of trying to kill Arielle Konig after she refused to take a selfie near the edge of a cliff along the Pali Puka trail on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The couple was on a trip celebrating Arielle Konig’s birthday, according to a petition she filed last year requesting a temporary restraining order.
Arielle Konig filed for divorce in May 2025, according to The Associated Press.
Nurse Sarah Bucksbom witnessed the alleged attack and called 911.
“Her face was covered in blood. Her head was covered in — she was just fully covered in blood,” Bucksbom told the court.
Gerhardt Konig’s attorney claimed during opening statements that his wife, a nuclear engineer, was the one who attacked him after he confronted her about an affair.
“She picks up a rock and hits him in the face with it, and he quickly reacts, human reaction, grabs the rock, hits her twice, and stops,” Thomas Otake argued.
Otake pointed to a call Gerhardt Konig made after the incident during which he told his 19-year-old son that he was going to kill himself.
“He was calling him to say goodbye. He was calling him to tell him he was sorry. He was calling him to tell him he wished he was a better man,” the lawyer said.
The prosecution, on the other hand, said the call was a confession.
“He says, ‘I am not going to make it back. I tried to kill Arielle, but she got away,'” deputy prosecuting attorney Joel Garner argued.
It’s still not clear if Gerhardt Konig or his son will testify in the trial. He faces up to life in prison if he’s convicted.
Hawaii doctor’s ex-boss says anesthesiologists have means to kill as wife testifies about syringe attack
Dr. Jonathan Waters said he never saw Gerhardt Konig lose his temper, as the defense claims Arielle Konig was the aggressor and the attack was self-defense
An anesthesiologist accused of trying to kill his wife would have had the knowledge and access to do so, according to his former boss, who said it would be “not hard” for someone in the field to commit murder.
“Would it be hard for an anesthesiologist to commit murder? I would say no,” Dr. Jonathan Waters said of his former mentee, Dr. Gerhardt Konig, in an interview on “Good Morning America.” “The drugs that we have typically are intended to take you to the edge of death.”
Waters, who supervised Konig, said he was stunned by the allegations.
“They had everything going for them. I truly don’t understand what happened,” he said.
JURORS SHOWN BODYCAM OF DOCTOR’S BLOODY WIFE, ROCK HE ALLEGEDLY USED TO BASH HER IN CLIFFSIDE ATTACK
Body camera footage shows Arielle Konig being helped by hikers after the alleged attack on a Hawaii hiking trail. (KHON-FOX)
He described Konig as intelligent and said he never saw him lose his temper — a characterization that sharply contrasts with the violent allegations now at the center of the doctor’s Maui trial.
“He was a smart guy… quite intelligent,” Waters said. “I never saw Gerhardt have a temper or lose his temper.”
DOCTOR’S BLOODIED WIFE SEEN IN BODYCAM AFTER SCREAMING FOR HELP FROM HUSBAND’S ALLEGED ATTACK
Arielle Konig testifies in court during the Maui attempted murder trial involving her husband. (KHON-FOX)
As Waters spoke publicly, jurors in Maui were shown disturbing police body camera footage this week capturing the aftermath of the alleged attack on the fourth day of trial.
The video shows Konig’s wife, Arielle Konig, bloodied and stumbling out of a remote hiking trail on Oahu after two hikers called 911, reporting they heard her screaming for help.
The hikers stayed with her, helping her to the ground and trying to keep her conscious as blood ran down her face.
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Honolulu Police Officer Kevin Chun testified that she appeared exhausted, short of breath and confused when he arrived.
Prosecutors allege Gerhardt Konig attacked his wife during the hike after discovering she was allegedly having an emotional affair.
They say he tried to push her off a cliff, then attempted to inject her with a syringe before repeatedly striking her in the head with a rock.
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A rock entered into evidence during the Maui attempted murder trial is alleged to have been used in the attack on Arielle Konig. (KHON-FOX)
Jurors were also shown photos of the scene, including blood on leaves, branches and the ground near a cliff edge, along with a rock believed to have been used in the attack.
Authorities say Konig fled after hikers intervened.
Gerhardt Konig is charged with attempted second-degree murder after he allegedly tried to kill his wife while hiking in Hawaii. (Gerhardt Konig/Facebook)
Police later spotted him with what appeared to be blood on his shirt, triggering a chase before officers took him into custody after he resisted arrest.
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Investigators also recovered a backpack, cellphone and a second bag allegedly containing medical supplies tied to the defendant.
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His defense team claims Arielle Konig was the aggressor and that he struck her with a rock in self-defense.
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