Introduction to the Case
The wife of a Maui doctor charged with attempted murder after she was attacked with a rock and nearly shoved off a cliff said her husband had sexually abused and assaulted her for months. Dr. Gerhardt Konig, a 46-year-old Maui anesthesiologist, was indicted Friday in the March 24 attack on his wife, Arielle Konig, 36, during a hike on the Pali trail in Honolulu.
Background on the Incident
Arielle Konig filed a petition for a temporary restraining order Thursday in Maui family court, seeking to have her husband vacate their home and keep from contacting her, their two children — who are 2 and 4 — and other family members. In the filing, she alleged her husband had “sexually abused and assaulted” her in recent months. The petition said that in December, Gerhardt Konig accused his wife of having an affair, “which led to extreme jealousy on his part.” Since then, he had attempted to control and monitor all her communications, she alleged in the filing. The petition said the couple had been in therapy and counseling.
Details of the Attack
In the petition, Arielle Konig recounted the March 24 attack. She said that Gerhardt had planned a weekend trip in Oahu to celebrate her birthday and suggested going on a hike at the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. While there, they took a selfie near the cliff’s edge. In the filing, Arielle Konig said that she asked her husband to move so she could get away from the edge because she was feeling dizzy. “When I got close to Gerhardt, Gerhardt grabbed me by my upper arms and started pushing me back towards the cliff edge. He was yelling something to the effect of, ‘Get back over there, I’m so f—ing sick of you!’ And continued to push me,” she wrote in the petition.
The Aftermath of the Attack
She said she initially thought he was joking, “but I quickly realized he was seriously trying to make me fall off the cliff,” the filing said. Arielle Konig said she threw herself onto the ground and her husband got on top of her and started to wrestle with her. “I was screaming and pleading with him to stop, asking him to think about our children. If I had fallen off the cliff, I would have likely died,” the petition said. She alleged that during the scuffle, Gerhardt grabbed his bag and took out a syringe with an unknown substance and attempted to inject her with it. She said that she grabbed the syringe and tried to throw it out of his reach, but that he had another vial in his hand and began looking for what she believed to be a second syringe. She bit her husband’s forearm, then he allegedly grabbed a nearby rock and bashed her in the head at least 10 times, resulting in severe lacerations to her face and scalp and bruises to her body, the filing and police said.
Police Intervention and Legal Proceedings
Two witnesses then shouted that they were calling 911 and Gerhardt stopped the attack, according to police. At the bottom of the trail, Arielle Konig met with police and was transported to a hospital. She alleged in her petition that she later learned her husband had Facetimed his adult son after the attack with blood visibly on him and told the son, “I just tried to kill Ari but she got away.” He allegedly told his son he wanted to kill himself by jumping off a cliff, Arielle Konig said in the filing. A judge on Friday signed the order, which expires in September, forcing Konig to vacate the home and stay away from the family. A hearing date is set for April 11 regarding that petition. Gerhardt Konig remains jailed on $5 million bail.
Reaction from Family and Friends
An attorney for Gerhardt Konig did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. An attorney for Arielle said she is still recovering from the assault. “Arielle is focusing on her recovery at home in Maui with the support of her family,” Brandon Segal, said. “She is a special person and she didn’t deserve this,” Christina Ferguson, the Konig’s housekeeper and friend of the family, told NBC News. “I’d hard to fathom, it’s hard to grasp the severity of this tragic incident. I didn’t think that this was something he would ever do.”
Conclusion
The case of Dr. Gerhardt Konig and his wife Arielle highlights the severity of domestic violence and the importance of recognizing its signs. It is crucial for those experiencing domestic violence to seek help and for the community to support them in their journey towards recovery and justice.
FAQs
- What happened to Arielle Konig? Arielle Konig was attacked by her husband, Dr. Gerhardt Konig, during a hike on the Pali trail in Honolulu. He attempted to push her off a cliff and later assaulted her with a rock.
- What has Gerhardt Konig been charged with? Gerhardt Konig has been indicted for attempted murder.
- What can you do if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence? If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
- What resources are available for those in crisis? If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
