A top doctor convicted of attempted manslaughter for trying to push his wife off a cliff in Hawaii is demanding a new trial. Anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig, 47, was found guilty of trying to kill his nuclear engineer wife, Arielle Konig, 37, while on a cliffside hike in Oahu on March 24, 2025.
Motion for New Trial Filed
A motion for a new trial was filed Friday after several jurors said in interviews they did not believe the doctor intended to kill his wife, KYMA reported. In his appeal, Konig argues Hawaii law requires jurors to unanimously agree that he intended to cause her death.
'While we remain grateful that Dr Konig was not convicted of attempted murder, statements by certain jurors after the verdict demonstrate that he should not have been convicted of attempted manslaughter either,' said Thomas Otake, Konig’s attorney, per KHON2. 'Instructions on the law given to the jury can be very confusing, and these things happen from time to time. But now that the problems with the verdict have come to light, this motion provides the Court with an opportunity to prevent an unjust result,' the attorney added.
Sentencing Scheduled
Konig is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13 and faces up to 20 years in prison. After a three-week trial, the doctor was convicted on April 8 on a lesser charge based on mental or emotional disturbance.
The couple went hiking in Oahu last spring after Konig uncovered messages of his wife's 'emotional affair.' Images revealed in court showed Arielle's injuries after her husband beat her with a rock. Konig previously pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder charges, claiming he acted in self-defense.
Prosecution and Defense Arguments
Prosecutors claimed that Konig pushed Arielle near the edge of the Pali Puka Trail and beat her multiple times with a rock on her birthday. Konig's lawyers claimed that Arielle attacked her husband first. They said the incident was a case of 'he said, she said.'
Arielle said she had been trying to repair the couple's marriage after Konig found 'flirty messages' between her and a coworker. She described the relationship as a three-month-long 'emotional affair' with her coworker. Arielle claimed that after her husband wrestled her to the ground, he pulled out a vial and a syringe before attacking her with the rock.
The defense noted that police never found a syringe at the scene or evidence that he tried to inject his wife with any substance. She told the court that she screamed, 'Please help, he's trying to kill me' as her husband attacked her. The attack only ended when two female hikers heard her pleas for help and called 911, the prosecution argued.
Konig had fled the scene when the two hikers arrived, and allegedly called his son, confessing to attacking his wife and saying he was going to take his own life. Konig looked visibly distressed after his guilty verdict was delivered.
Injuries and Evidence
Arielle testified that she was treated for 'severe scalp lacerations' following the incident and showed picture evidence of her injuries during the trial. Konig's attorney, Thomas Otake, previously argued Arielle's injuries were not as bad as they appeared, and said she only suffered a small laceration to her eyebrow. A physician from Queen's Medical Center, though, claimed she had suffered crushed tissue down to the skull.
Konig told the court that the couple had gotten into an argument over their affair and that she struck him with a rock first before they wrestled one another to the ground. He admitted to striking her with a rock but denied that he had any syringes. The court was shown photographs of the contents of his medical bag, which included a syringe and a generic form of Propofol, the powerful anesthetic that caused Michael Jackson's fatal overdose. Konig also dispelled accusations that he attempted to push his wife toward the cliff's edge.
Financial Motive
Prosecutors claimed Konig came up with a plan to kill his wife to avoid a divorce amid their marital issues. It was also revealed that Konig stood to gain $250,000 from a life insurance policy in the event of Arielle's death. Arielle filed for divorce in May 2025 and sought full custody of the couple's young sons. Konig has been in jail since his arrest in March 2025, roughly eight hours after he attacked his wife. His medical staff privileges at Maui Health were revoked.
