Jury deliberations begin, trial nears end for Maui doctor accused of trying to kill wife during hike on Oʻahu

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The trial for a Maui doctor accused of trying to kill his wife while on a hike on O’ahu last year, nears completion as closing arguments wrapped, and jury deliberations began on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.  

The second degree attempted murder charge stems from a March 24, 2025 incident in which Gerhardt Konig, 47, is accused of striking his wife multiple times in the head with a rock and attempting to push her off the Pali Puka trail during a visit to Oʻahu for her birthday.  His wife, Arielle, testified that her husband tried to attack her with a syringe and struck her with a rock. The altercation was preceded by an argument over their relationship. She was found on the trail near the “Pali” lookout with head and facial injuries after witnesses called 911.

Anesthesiologist, Gerhardt Konig, pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was cross examined on Thursday, and testified that he was able to wrestle the rock out of his wife’s hands and struck her two times with it. He said it was done “in self defense” and that he felt “horrible” afterwards, describing his emotional state as being in “severe emotional distress.” During questioning, the defendant was asked about internet searches, financial planning and potential death benefits.

Honolulu Police Department Detective, Thomas Iinuma was called for followup questioning by the defense on Tuesday morning. Questioning focused on data gained from a computer search warrant to determine if it was accessed via automation like a virus scan, or via a human interaction.

The defense rested its case at 9:17 a.m. and the rest of the morning was spent with jury instructions and closing arguments, which concluded at around 12:25 p.m. The jury spent about three hours in deliberations on Tuesday afternoon, before going into recess at the end of the day. The jury continues deliberations at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

State outlines: ‘Motive, Beating, Confession’

During closing arguments, Deputy Prosecutor Joel Garner began by saying: “A motive. A beating. A confession… beyond a reasonable doubt the state has proven that on March 24, 2025, Gerhardt Konig tried to kill his wife Arielle.”

Prosecutors say the actions were intentional with a plan: “Plan A, the push. The intent was to kill. When Plan A didn’t work, he moved on to Plan B… inject her with the syringe, knock her out, push her off the cliff. The intent behind plan B was to kill. Plan C, when the first two plans didn’t work, beat her with the rock, knock her out, drag her over, or just simply kill her outright. The intent behind every single plan was to kill Arielle.”

Prosecutors argue that the two women who came upon the scene did not “witness the end,” Garner contends the hikers, “caused the end of the incident, because when they showed up, that is the only thing that stopped the defendant.”

“Arielle screaming for help didn’t stop the defendant. Arielle fighting back for her life didn’t stop the defendant,” said Garner. “The only thing that was enough for him to stop is two eyewitnesses coming up on the scene and seeing him beat her with that rock. The only thing that got him to stop was being caught red handed,” prosecutors said.

When describing Arielle’s account of what transpired on the Pali Puka trail, Garner said his client was “afraid, [and] nervous about the hike.” Garner described Arielle’s testimony as “straightforward, coherent” and “not overdramatized.”

Prosecutors said digital evidence shows what the defendant had a “motive to kill” because he was looking up infidelity, Arielle’s financials, his prior divorce, and purchased a spy device. “It wasn’t self help. It was an obsession and a plan for divorce,” said Garner.

Garner said the defendant’s actions included fleeing the scene and hiding in the woods for nearly eight hours while a manhunt ensued by multiple agencies. Prosecutors say the defendant collected the evidence from the scene including “Arielle’s phone, purse and syriges, and disposed of them.”

Prosecutors also recounted testimony from Gerhardt Konig’s son Emile, who received two FaceTime video calls from his father. According to Emile, the defendant confessed to trying to kill Arielle and said his father planned to jump off the cliff.

Prosecutors argued that the defendant was not acting under emotional distress, but “fled the scene, hid evidence, and was solving problems as they came.” Garner said the charge is supported by physical and digital evidence, and corroborated by witnesses. “There is only one verdict that will hold the defendant accountable,” he said, “… guilty as charged of attempted murder in 2nd degree.”

Defense closing arguments: Who was holding the rock?

Defense Attorney Thomas M. Otake focused on the state’s burden of proof and argued that the evidence points to reasonable doubt. He asked the jury to use “logic, reason and common sense,” when considering the evidence.

He cited the use of the phrase “unfaithful, unwilling, untrue,” but added his own word “undeterred,” to the alliteration saying the prosecution was “undeterred by the evidence.”

“They will spin it in their favor,” Otake said of the prosecution, arguing that DNA points toward Arielle holding the rock.

“Arielle’s story contradicts the physical evidence… and this is a huge problem for them,” said Otake. The defense cited earlier testimony in which a witness described results from DNA analysis.

“There was a stained area that looked like blood and there was an unstained other side. They swabbed the blood, they tested it. Of course it’s Arielle’s blood… I told you that in an opening statement,” said Otake.

In contrast, the unstained side of the rock, was not tested for blood, but for human skin cell touch DNA. “The unstained side had a profile for two people—Arielle and Gerhardt. Arielle’s number was 1 trillion. His was 290,” according to Otake’s recap. “If he’s holding the rock the whole time, and she’s just blocking, there’s going to be more of his DNA than hers,” said Otake.

Otake said, “As much as they want to avoid it, the reality is this – it is essentially: he said, she said.” He argued that although Arielle said the defendant tried to attack her with a syringe, witnesses didn’t see any such device on the ground. “They are nurses. They didn’t see it because it didn’t happen.”

“The bottom line is Arielle Konig is not reliable,” Otake said in his closing. He said the way Arielle described the account made it sound like the defendant “had multiple arms like an octopus,” and “in middle of it, they’re having a full conversation.”

“Her story makes no sense,” said Otake.

He argued that his client’s reflex was “human.” “He reacted, and then he felt horrible about it. The physical evidence supports this story.” said Otake.

While the prosecution described Gerhardt’s FaceTime call with his son as a “confession,” the defense called it a “misunderstanding.” “He was trying to say goodbye to his son. This is not the confession they are making it out to be,” said Otake.

The defense further contends that their client “wasn’t evading police for purpose of getting caught, but wanted to have option of killing himself.” Otake called it a “human reaction to defend himself in the moment.”

Defense attorneys say the incident happened “extremely fast,” and then the defendant “stopped.” Otake further contends that doctors testified that the amount of blood was “not a good indication of severity,” and there was “no substantial risk of death.”