Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife convicted of attempted
manslaughter
[April 09, 2026]
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii anesthesiologist who was accused of trying to
murder his wife on a scenic cliffside hike with ocean views last year
has been convicted of the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter.
A Honolulu jury returned the verdict against Gerhardt Konig, 47, on
Wednesday after a day of deliberations. He was convicted of attempted
manslaughter based on extreme mental or emotional disturbance, which
carries up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing was set for Aug. 13.
Thomas Otake, his attorney, said he planned to appeal. Nevertheless,
Otake said the defense respected the jury's verdict.
“We are thankful that they did not convict him of attempted murder,
which would have been life in prison,” Otake said. “We look forward to
an appeal related to some of the judge's rulings throughout the case.”
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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.
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Distraught over her relationship with a coworker, Konig planned to kill
his wife, Arielle Konig, during a weekend trip to Honolulu for her
birthday in March 2025, prosecutors said. They said he tried to push her
off a cliff and stab her with a syringe, and when that didn't work, he
struck her with a rock. The attack was interrupted by two hikers who
heard her cries for help.
The defendant testified that it was his wife who first hit him with a
rock, and he hit her back in self-defense.
Konig stood as the jury’s foreperson announced the verdict, then closed
his eyes and lowered his face. His parents declined to comment to
reporters afterward. Arielle Konig was not in court.
Jurors explain conviction on lesser charge
Jury foreperson Makalapua Atkins said deliberations focused on what
transpired on the trail. She said jurors examined the testimony of those
who were at the scene to see where they matched up and where there were
inconsistencies.
“At the end of the day when it comes down to it, she was hit in the
head. And a head injury can be serious. And that’s a very deadly part of
the body," Atkins told reporters after the verdict was read.
Jurors believed the relationship Arielle Konig had with a coworker was
sufficient to cause “an emotional disturbance” and this affected their
verdict, she said.
Under Hawaii law, if jurors believe a defendant committed attempted
murder but was under the influence of an extreme mental or emotional
disturbance at the time, they must reduce the charge to attempted
manslaughter if they believe there was a reasonable explanation for the
disturbance.
The defense's arguments
During closing arguments, the doctor’s lawyer repeatedly sought to cast
doubt on Arielle Konig’s account.
If Gerhardt Konig had wanted to kill his wife and had access to a
syringe in a remote area, attorney Thomas Otake suggested to jurors
during closing arguments, wouldn’t he have drugged her and then thrown
her from the cliff, rather than having started a scuffle before
attempting to fill the syringe as he was wrestling with her?
“You would use the syringe first,” Otake said. “It makes no sense.”
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 had tried to kill her.
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Gerhardt Konig, left, reacts after the verdict is read while sitting
with defense attorney Thomas Otake, right, in court Wednesday, April
8, 2026, in Honolulu. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP,
Pool)
Their two young sons stayed home on Maui while the Konigs were on
the trip.
The Pali Puka trail has long been closed by the state of Hawaii due
to its danger but social media sites feature it. People trespass on
state land to take in its views and snap photos. Arielle Konig
described it as having “narrow ridge sections with steep drop-offs
on both sides.”
Gerhardt and Arielle Konig testify
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 an 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 his face. He wrestled the
rock away and hit her with it twice in self-defense, he said.
Gerhardt Konig also denied having any syringes on the mountain or
trying to stab his wife. His defense attorney said no syringe was
found at the scene because he never had one.
Otake said Gerhardt Konig was not someone who would try to commit
murder, but someone who was struggling with infidelity and trying to
do his best. Otake quoted from a heart-shaped birthday card Gerhardt
Konig had written to his wife, calling her “the heart of our family”
and saying, “The kids and I hit the jackpot with you.”
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.
Konig testified that he called his son to say good-bye.
During that call, the defendant made no reference to having struck
his wife in self-defense, deputy prosecutor Joel Garner said.
He spent about eight hours hiding on the mountain before deciding to
come down, and even then, he tried to flee when confronted by
police, Garner said.
His wife has since filed for divorce.
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Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report.
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