The jury delivered a unanimous verdict yesterday in the case against Hawaii Dr. Gerhardt Konig, who was accused of trying to push his wife off the edge of a cliff and then beating her with a rock. He was convicted of attempted manslaughter based on the mental or emotional disturbance presented in court.

Conviction and Sentencing

Konig was also charged with second-degree attempted murder, but after eight hours of deliberations, the jury decided only to convict him of the lesser charge. As the verdict was read, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. When his fate was sealed, he covered his face with his hand while his attorney attempted to console him.

This conviction wraps up a three-week-long trial in which all parties of the family testified, including Gerhardt Konig, his wife, Arielle Konig, and his son, Emile Konig. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 13, 2026, and he is facing up to 20 years in prison. In the meantime, he will be housed at the O’ahu Community Correctional Center.

After The Conviction

Outside the courtroom, Konig’s attorneys told reporters, “We look forward to appealing,” adding, “We are thankful that they did not convict him of attempted murder, which would have been life in prison.” Defense Attorney Thomas Otake thanked the jury directly before turning away.

Makalapua Atkins, the jury foreperson, told NBC News how they reached their decision. They said the jury members were helpful towards one another and felt that the evidence was not sufficient to convict Konig of attempted murder. “We didn’t feel the evidence would uphold the fact that he intended on murdering her,” Atkins said.

Prosecuting attorney Steve Alm described the verdict as “a good day for the good guys” and thanked members of the jury, the victim, Arielle Konig, the witnesses who helped her that day, and the investigators for their hard work.

Gerhardt Konig’s Trial

Prosecutors argued that Konig was “obsessed” with the emotional affair his wife was allegedly having with her coworker, so he tried to push her off a cliff on the Pali Puka Trail during a hike. When his initial plan failed, he began repeatedly bashing her head in with a rock. “The only thing that got him to stop was being caught red-handed,” when two hikers stumbled onto the scene.

The defense said the allegations were “she said, he said” and a “theory in search of facts.” Konig took the stand in his defense and denied pushing his wife or attempting to. He claimed self-defense and that she tried to push him off the trail. “He had a reflex,” Otake said in his closing argument. “He reacted, and then he felt horrible about it.”

The attack took place three months after Konig found out his wife was having an emotional affair, and they tried counseling, which Arielle testified she thought was mending the damage she had caused. However, she was mistaken because Konig said he was “devastated” by the situation, and his wife was minimizing her part.

Couple Testifies

Arielle testified to her version of events from the hike. She said her husband asked her to stand on the cliffside for a selfie. When she became nervous about how close she was to the edge, she tried to move past him. But he grabbed her arm and pushed her back. During the struggle, the anesthesiologist stabbed her with a syringe.

He proceeded to bash her head with a rock, and she recalled him telling her, “‘Nobody’s going to hear you out here,’” and “‘Nobody’s coming to save you.’” Luckily, two other hikers appeared on the trail and called 911, reporting they saw a man try to kill a woman. They helped Arielle down the trail, describing her as a bloody mess.

Konig took the stand and said the two had just gotten into a fight about the emotional affair, and his wife tried to push him off the cliff. She pulled him to the ground by grabbing his testicles and hitting him in the face with a rock. He said he wrestled the rock away and hit her twice.

Experts Testify to Injuries

An emergency doctor who tended to Arielle’s injuries that day said she sustained a skull laceration that reached the bone, noting that pieces of rock were embedded in her wound. However, the defense called a pathologist to the stand who said Arielle’s wound was a “soft-tissue injury” and that it was not life-threatening.

Emile Konig Recites Confession

Emile Konig took the stand on behalf of the prosecutors and his stepmother. He recalled his father facetiming him several times, confessing that he tried to kill his wife because she cheated on him, and was planning to take his own life.

Konig disputed his son’s testimony in parts, saying that he may have used the word “kill” but that he did not mean it as a confession. As a result, he was arrested almost eight hours later once he turned himself in.