OAHU — Gerhardt Konig, a 47-year-old anesthesiologist, appeared before a judge via video during an arraignment hearing in Honolulu after being indicted on a charge of second-degree attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill his wife. Konig pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Prosecutors allege that Konig attacked his wife, Arielle Konig, 37, during a hike on Oahu's Pali Puka trail on March 24, 2025, by pushing her toward the edge of a cliff, coming at her with a syringe, and striking her in the head multiple times with a rock. The indictment listed the date of the alleged attempted murder as April 7, 2025.

Konig's attorneys argue that he acted in self-defense and that his wife attacked him first. The defense has disputed that Konig tried to push his wife off a cliff and has disputed that a syringe was involved in the incident.

Arielle Konig testified that the attack began after her husband asked her to take a photo near the edge of a cliff. "I didn't want to get too close to the edge of the cliff," she testified. She said her husband then grabbed her and pushed her toward the edge.

Arielle testified that she threw herself to the ground and her husband climbed on top of her. She said she knocked a syringe out of his hand, and he then picked up a rock and began hitting her in the face and head. The attack stopped, she testified, when nearby hikers said they were calling 911. Two women helped her get down to safety, she said.

Emile Konig, Gerhardt Konig's 19-year-old son, also testified in the proceedings. He said he received two FaceTime calls from his father on the morning of March 24, 2025. Emile testified that his father told him he would not be making it back to Maui, said his wife had been cheating on him, and said he had tried to kill her. Emile testified that his father's next plan was to jump off a cliff and that he told his father not to do so.

Emile testified that his father made no mention of acting in self-defense during their call. He had been living on Maui with his father, his stepmother, and two younger half-siblings at the time of the incident.

Several months before the incident, Gerhardt Konig discovered that Arielle was having an emotional affair with a co-worker. The couple attended couples counseling.