An American doctor has been charged with second-degree attempted murder after he allegedly tried to kill his wife with a rock while on a hiking trail in Hawaii.
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According to multiple media outlets, on March 24, Arielle Konig, 36, a nuclear engineer, was out celebrating her birthday while on a hiking trail with her husband, Gerhardt Konig, 46, an anesthesiologist in Maui, when he allegedly attempted to throw her off a cliff, hit her with a rock, and tried injecting her with drugs.
The doctor and his wife were on the Pali trial in Honolulu, Hawaii, when the attack occurred. Following the attack, Arielle was rushed to a nearby hospital with serious head and facial injuries. She was placed in critical condition but has since recovered.
Arielle has since told law enforcement that the attack started after she refused to take a photo with Gerhardt. She then revealed that he had assaulted her with closed fists and a rock before trying to shove her off the trail. However, the attack was noticeably pre-planned when he took out a syringe and tried to inject her with an unknown substance.
Not long after the Hawaii trail attack, the doctor was tracked down and, following a short foot chase, he was arrested. He was discovered near the hiking trail after he fled the scene of the attack.
Honolulu Police Department issued a statement, declaring officers had found Gerhardt near Pail Highway and arrested him after a foot pursuit. Charges were pending.
The couple had been living in Maui in a $1.5 million residence. They had been married since 2018. and have two children.
The Doctor’s Wife Claims She Was Abused for Months Before the Hawaii Trail Attack
Days after the Hawaii trial attack, the doctor’s wife filed a petition for a temporary restraining order in the Maui family court.
NBC News reported that Arielle sought to have her husband vacate their home and prevent him from contacting her, their two children, and other family members.
In her filing, Arielle accused Gerhardt of sexually abusing and assaulting her for months before the attack. She alleged that Gerhardt had accused her of having an affair, which “led to extremely jealously on his part.” Shortly after, he started attempting to control and monitor her communications.
The couple had been in therapy and counseling before the attack.
Also in her court filing, Arielle shared details about the attack. “When I got close to Gerhardt, Gerhardt grabbed me by my upper arms and started pushing me back towards the cliff edge,” she wrote. ‘He was yelling something to the effect of, ‘Get back over there, I’m so f—ing sick of you!’ And continued to push me.”
Arielle said she initially thought he was joking. However, she quickly realized he was seriously trying to push her off the cliff. She said she threw herself on the ground, and he got on top of her, starting to wrestle with her.
“I was screaming and pleading with him to stop,” she continued. “Asking him to think about our children. If I had fallen off the cliff, I would have likely died.”
The Doctor Hit His Wife With a Rock 10 Times During the Trail Attack
Arielle said she knew the attack was pre-planned when Gerhardt took out the syringe. She said she grabbed the syringe and tried to throw it out of his reach. However, he had another vital in his hand and looked for what she thought was a second syringe.
In the scuffle, Arielle bit Gerhardt in the hand. That was when he grabbed a nearby rock and hit her in the head at least 10 times. He caused severe lacerations to her face and scalp. He also left bruises all over her body.
Gerhardt stopped the attack after two witnesses on the trail yelled they were calling 911.
Gerhardt has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge and has since appeared for his first court hearing. His lawyer, Thomas Otake, shared in a media statement that there are “two sides” to every story.
“The other side to this story will be shared within the court process at the appropriate time,” Otake added.