Authorities in Honolulu, Hawaii confirmed the arrest of anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig on the morning of Monday March 24 after he attempted to kill his wife, Arielle Konig, while on a hike.
Police arrested him after a foot chase
Following a ‘brief foot chase’, police in Honolulu arrested the 46-year-old doctor after he attempted to push his 36-year-old wife off the Pali Lookout on the Windward Oahu hiking trail.
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He tried to hit her before pushing her off
According to an affidavit shared by People, Konig had attempted to strike Arielle in the head with a rock 10 times, grabbing the back of her hair and “smashing” her head into the ground before trying to push her off.
He also attempted to poke her with syringes
After the incident, his wife claimed that he had also tried to poke her with two syringes, although it is not clear if they had contained anything.
According to Arielle, this happened after she told Konig that she didn’t want to take a selfie with him so close to the edge of the lookout.
The affidavit revealed the series of events
The affidavit read, “Arielle expressed that she did not feel comfortable taking a picture with him that close to the edge, so she declined and began to walk back.”
Konig seems to have “yelled at her to come back, and when she refused, he pushed her into the bushes where they began to struggle.”
She attempted to call for help from other hikers
The affidavit continued, “Arielle indicated that she was yelling for help and heard two other hikers; she was able to crawl over to them.”
It also added that Arielle saw Konig attempt to use two syringes on her but that she “was able to get them away from him”.
A hiker heard Arielle scream for help
As the incident was taking place, a hiker heard Arielle’s screams and ran towards the sound where she allegedly saw “a girl lying on her back in the grass with a man on top of her, hitting her on the head.”
The hiker also relayed that she heard Arielle say, “He is trying to kill me,” and adding, “He is hitting me in the head with a rock.”
Konig had walked away when hikers came
As the hiker came to help and her friend called emergency services, Konig is said to have walked away. But after a ‘brief foot chase’ authorities were able to find and arrest him.
Arielle was taken to a hospital with injuries on her face and head and was treated while in critical condition.
He is charged with second-degree attempted murder
As reported by AP News, Honolulu police said Konig has since been charged with second-degree attempted murder with his bail set at $5 million.
Since then, Sanoe Kaaihue, executive director of Women Helping Women has spoken about the incident.
She shed light on the prominence of domestic violence
“Both prominent people in our community. Not just him, but also her. Highly intelligent, highly successful folks,” Kaaihue told Hawaii News Now, pointing out that domestic violence is more common than is often thought.
Kaaihue spoke openly about the issue
“DV (domestic violence) does not discriminate. I think time and time again, people are so surprised when they hear that it’s their teachers, it’s neighbors, it’s attorneys. It’s everybody from every single walk of life can be affected,” Kaaihue added.
“What you’re seeing now is an outward expression of the things that they’ve been experiencing within the household.”
