A 46-year-old Maui anesthesiologist pleaded not guilty Monday to allegations that he tried to kill his wife on an Oahu hiking trail after accusing her of cheating on him in December.
Gerhardt Konig was indicted March 28 by an Oahu grand jury and charged with second-degree attempted murder.
He is being held without bail, but his attorney noted that a motion to set bail will be made before the trial division, according to state court records.
Konig’s not-guilty plea “was not just a formality, but a substantive response to the allegation that he tried to kill his wife.”
“There are two sides to every story, and thus far only one side has been shared. The other side to this story will be shared within the court process at the appropriate time,” Konig’s attorney, Thomas M. Otake, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
In a petition for a temporary restraining order, Konig’s wife, Arielle, 36, asked the court to protect the
couple’s two children, ages 4 and 3; Gerhardt Konig’s son; Arielle Konig’s parents; and the family dog.
She believes Konig will try to kill her or her family members if released before trial.
She told the court that her husband accused her in December of adultery and was so jealous that he tried to control and monitor all her communications.
The couple was participating in counseling.
Konig is accused of luring his wife toward the edge of
a cliff March 24 under the premise of a selfie before
trying to push her off. When that didn’t work, he allegedly tried to inject her with an
unknown substance from s
yringes he was carrying.
He then allegedly hit her about 10 times with a rock, causing severe lacerations to her face and scalp, bruising to her body and breaking her left thumb as she tried to fend off the blows.
He also allegedly grabbed the back of her head by the hair and smashed her face into the ground, according to court documents. Two witnesses on the trail saw the attack and called 911.
Konig allegedly called his eldest son from a prior relationship and told him, “I
just tried to kill Ari, but she got away,” according to the petition for a temporary restraining order.
A GoFundMe for Arielle Konig had raised $4,699 as of Tuesday.
