The trial continues in Honolulu against Gerhardt Konig, a former anesthesiologist accused of trying to kill his wife on O‘ahu’s Pali Puka hiking trail.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Konig, 47, is accused of beating Arielle Konig in the face with a rock and trying to push her from a steep cliff’s edge, during her birthday hike on March 24, 2025.
On Tuesday, the defendant’s Emile Konig.19, told the court his father contacted hm via FaceTime shortly after the incident and claimed he tried to kill Arielle for cheating on him, NBC News reports.
Gerhardt Konig specifically stated that he “would not be making it back to Maui and to take good care of the younger kids and that he had – that Ari, my stepmom, had been cheating on him and that he tried to kill her,” according to Emile’s testimony.
Emile also saw blood on his father’s shirt during the call and stated that the defendant admitted it was from Arielle.
“I asked what was on his shirt, ’cause it looked like I saw splatters of something on his shirt, and he said, oh it’s just her, meaning Ari’s, blood.”
Around an hour later, Gerhardt Konig called his son back and questioned whether he had told anyone about what happened.
“He asked me if I had told anybody and I said yes and I told him who I had told, and then – he said that he was just gonna jump and said that a couple times.”
Konig then fled the scene but officers with the Honolulu Police Department arrested him hours later near Pali Highway, after a foot pursuit.
The defense is arguing that Arielle initiated the fight by pushing her husband, after he accused of her of an “emotional affair” with a co-worker.
Emile told the court that the defendant never said anything about having to defend himself.
Last week, Arielle Konig, a nuclear engineer, took the stand and recounted how the defendant became enraged when she refused to take a selfie by the cliff’s edge.
Arielle Konig told the court that she began walking away when the defendant “grabbed me really forcefully by my upper arms.”
Gerhardt Konig allegedly told her to “hold still” while he pulled out a syringe and with a closed fist, tried to stab her with it. When she pushed the syringe away, Konig began hitting her in multiple times with a rock.
First responders took Arielle to an area hospital with severe lacerations on her face and neck. Jurors observed photos of the injuries and saw police bodycam footage of her bleeding profusely while two hikers tried to assist her.
“If you look at the pictures, you can see deep lacerations right on the edge of the scalp,” Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County Kendall Crowns told ‘Crime Stories’ host, Nancy Grace, while discussing the case
“Theres going to be a tremendous amount of bleeding…Those are very deep injuries created by a rock.”
Gerhardt Konig has pleaded not guilty.
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo via Facebook]
