A judge at a hearing Tuesday is scheduled to consider a Maui doctor’s request to be released on bail while he fights an attempted murder charge on allegations that he tried to kill his wife on a Honolulu hiking trail.
Gerhardt Konig previously pleaded not guilty. His wife wrote in a petition for a temporary restraining order against him that they were hiking in Honolulu in March when he grabbed her, pushed her toward the edge of a cliff, attempted to inject her with a syringe and then bashed her head with a rock. She has since filed for divorce.
The Associated Press does not name people who are victims of domestic violence unless they consent to be identified or decide to tell their stories publicly.
Konig, an anesthesiologist, has been held without bail since his indictment on March 28. In a motion seeking “bail at a reasonable amount,” his defense attorneys said Konig, 46, has no prior criminal convictions. His home, job and two young children are in Hawaii, where he will remain while he defends himself from the charges, the motion said.
Prosecutors, in opposing the bail request, said Konig “faces a realistic prospect of life imprisonment” and tried to flee after the attack. He called his adult son, told him he “tried to kill your stepmom” and told him he would turn off his phone so that police could not locate him, prosecutors said in a court filing. He also hid in the bushes until nightfall, even though the attack happened before lunch, and led police on a search, prosecutors said.
When he was apprehended, he said, “Wait, she’s not dead?” according to prosecutors.
Konig’s wife suffered major cuts to her head that required surgery, prosecutors said.
The couple were visiting Oahu to celebrate her birthday while their two young sons stayed home on Maui with a nanny and family, according to the wife’s petition filed in family court. A judge signed an order saying Konig must stay away from her and their children.
The petition for a restraining order said that in December, Konig accused his wife of having an affair.
On March 24 during their recent trip, Konig suggested they go on a hike, the petition said.
What is known as “Pali Puka” trail is closed because the route is unsafe, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said. Hikers often enter through a small clearing near a popular lookout point that offers stunning views despite a warning: “Area Closed! Do not go beyond this sign.”
“During the hike, I became uneasy and informed Gerhardt that I did not want to continue,” the woman said in her petition. “Gerhardt hiked a little further and then came back to get me.”
At one point, he grabbed her by her upper arms and started pushing her toward the cliff’s edge while yelling that he was sick of her, she said.
They began wrestling and she screamed and pleaded for him to stop, fearing for her life, the petition said.
During the struggle, she said he took a syringe from his bag and tried to inject her with something.
She said that she bit his arm in an attempt to defend herself.
He appeared to calm down, but then grabbed a nearby rock and “began bashing me repeatedly on the head with it,” she said.
Two women on the trail saw what was happening and said they were calling 911.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.
