We are in a verdict watch in the case of Dr. Gerhardt Konig's attempted murder trial, accused of trying kill wife Arielle by shoving her off a cliff and then bashing her in the head with a rock.
For her 36th birthday, anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig whisks his wife, engineer Arielle, away for a romantic getaway.
He secretly plans the trip, arranging for family members and a hired nanny to stay with their two sons. The couple decides to hike a popular trail along the Koʻolau Mountains, leading to Pali Puka, a rock formation framing the east side of Oʻahu.
Konig hopes the trip will ease tension after months of couples therapy following his accusations that Arielle had an affair. Arielle denies the claims and struggles to understand their origin. She wants to regain her husband’s trust, but his jealousy and abuse, including sexual assaults, have only escalated.
During the hike, Arielle wants to push forward but stops when she sees the final steep stretch. She chooses to wait while Konig completes the climb. When he returns, he takes a picture of her in a tree and suggests they take a selfie at the trail’s edge, overlooking Oʻahu. Arielle smiles for the photo but immediately asks him to step forward so she can move away from the edge.
As she follows him, Konig suddenly turns, grabs her arms, and shoves her toward the cliff, saying, “Get back over there. I’m so f***ing sick of you!”
At first, Arielle thinks he is joking, but he pushes her again, pins her down, and pulls a syringe and vial from his bag, attempting to fill the syringe. She knocks it from his hands, but he digs into his bag again, possibly searching for another. Instead, he grabs a rock and repeatedly strikes her head.
Other hikers hear Arielle’s screams and rush to help. Konig, covered in blood, flees into the woods and video calls his adult son, Emile. Shocked by his father’s appearance, Emile listens as Konig starts to explain but stops mid-sentence and says, “I just tried to kill Ari, but she got away.” He then tells Emile he wants to jump off the cliffs and kill himself.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
- Josh Kolsrud - Criminal Defense Attorney and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Founder of Kolsrud Law Offices, website: kolsrudlawoffices.com, Facebook and YouTube @KolsrudLawOffices
- Dr. Geri-Lynn Utter - Clinical Psychologist specializing in psychological evaluations and risk assessments for individuals involved in the criminal justice system, Author of “Mainlining Philly: Survival, Hope and Resisting Drug Addition,” and “Aftershock: How Past Event Shake Up Your Life Today”, and Producer of “Utter Nonsense,” a documentary of exploration of addition and severe mental illness, available to stream on Apple TV and Prime Video, website:drgerilynnutter.com, Instagram & Facebook: DrGeriLynnUtter
- Jon Buehler - Former Detective for Modesto Police Department, California (31 years in Robbery and Homicide), Lead detective in the Scott Peterson case
- Todd Barr - Forensic Pathologist / Deputy Coroner for Franklin County Coroner’s Office in Columbus Ohio, Testified in Shawn Grate serial killer case, Featured in "Thin Places: Essays From In Between" by Jordan Kisner
- Susan Hendricks - Journalist, Author: “Down the Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi", IG @susan_hendricks X @SusanHendicks
- Sydney Silvagni - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'
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