Gerhardt Konig, an anesthesiologist accused of trying to push his wife off a cliff before allegedly bashing her face with a rock, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree attempted murder.
Konig entered his plea during a minutes-long pretrial hearing on Monday. His attorney, Thomas Otake, emphasized that it was “not just a formality, but a substantive response to the allegation that he tried to kill his wife,” 36-year-old, Arielle Konig, in Oahu.
“There are two sides to every story, and thus far only one side has been shared,” Otake said in a prepared statement he distributed to reporters before the hearing. “The other side to this story will be shared within the court process at the appropriate time.”
Otake also revealed his intention to seek bail for his client, who does not have a criminal record. His next court appearance has been set for June 9.
The couple was visiting Oahu to celebrate Arielle’s birthday last month while their two sons remained at home on Maui with a nanny and family.
Arielle has said she and her husband were hiking the Pali Puka Trail on March 24 when things turned violent. At one point, she alleged Konig stopped and asked that she take a selfie with him along a cliffside near Pali Lookout, but she declined because she wasn’t comfortable being so close to the edge, and then moved to continue the hike.
Konig allegedly “yelled at her to come back, and when she refused, he pushed her into the bushes,” picked up a rock and struck her on the head about 10 times “while also grabbing the back of her hair and smashing her face into the ground,” documents said. As he pulled her back toward the cliff, he was also “yelling something to the effect of, ‘Get back over there, I’m so f—-ing sick of you!’”
Arielle additionally claimed her husband had “two syringes,” filled with a clear liquid and he “attempted to use them on her, but she was able to get them away from him.”
The attack only came to an end when nearby hikers heard the commotion and intervened, she added.
Konig was arrested hours later and has been behind bars ever since. He served as a doctor with the Anesthesia Medical Group in Hawaii, offering his services to medical facilities across Maui, KGMB previously reported. Before that, he worked as an anesthesiologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and an assistant professor of anesthesiology and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh.
If convicted, he faces life in prison.
With New Wire Services