Anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig convicted of attempted manslaughter in Hawaii

A Honolulu jury has found Gerhardt Konig, a 47-year-old anesthesiologist, guilty of attempted manslaughter following a violent cliffside attack on his wife.

The verdict, delivered on Wednesday, concluded a three-week trial regarding the March 2025 incident on Oahu's Pali Puka trail.

Konig was convicted of the lesser charge based on "extreme mental or emotional disturbance," rather than the original second-degree attempted murder charge.

The prosecution detailed a harrowing assault in which Arielle Konig was attacked at a remote lookout.

She testified that her husband attempted to stab her with a syringe and struck her head with a rock, stating: "I just started screaming, because, in my mind, he's trying to knock me unconscious, to get to be able to drag me over the edge."

The attack only ceased when two hikers intervened, leading Konig to flee before his arrest following a six-hour manhunt.

During the trial, the couple’s son, Emile, testified that his father confessed during a FaceTime call, claiming "he tried to kill her" because she had been unfaithful.

While the defendant claimed self-defence, stating he "reacted to defend" himself in the heat of the moment, the jury ultimately rejected his version of events.

Arielle Konig, who suffered critical injuries, has since filed for divorce. Gerhardt Konig, who previously worked at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre and Anaesthesia Medical Group in Hawaii, now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.