Maui doctor arrested for attempted murder after he allegedly tried to throw wife off cliff

A Maui doctor is in custody after a brief manhunt as Hawaii police say he struck his wife in the head with his fists and a rock, poked her with a syringe, and tried to push her off a cliff. The only motive so far reported for the crime is that she refused to take a picture with him.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, the incident happened around 10 a.m. on March 24 at Pali Lookout on Oahu. Gerhardt Konig, 46, an anesthesiologist, went hiking with his 36-year-old wife, Arielle Konig, a nuclear engineer, at an elevation of around 1,200 feet when Konig struck his wife in the head and face with a rock, tried to push her off a cliff, and left her for dead. Sources told Hawaii News Now that Konig also tried to poke his wife with two syringes.

Konig’s wife told cops what happened

Gerhardt Konig, 46, remains in police custody, accused of attempting to kill his wife while hiking on the morning of March 25. https://t.co/e1tsJUawVi

— KHON2 News (@KHONnews) March 26, 2025

Police arrived after witnesses reported a man beating a woman at Pali Lookout and found Konig’s wife seriously injured. She told police what happened and was transported to a local hospital, where she reportedly remains in critical condition. After a brief foot chase, Konig was arrested, Honolulu police said. According to law enforcement, Konig attacked his wife after she declined to take a picture with him. Reports say second-degree attempted murder charges are pending.

It seems likely more information will emerge about what led up to the violent attack, and there’s more to the developing story than just the picture Konig’s wife reportedly declined to take.

Konig is originally from Pittsburgh, where he worked as a doctor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and taught at Pitt. In Maui, he worked on a contract basis as an anesthesiologist for Anesthesia Medical Group and other healthcare facilities. AMC announced that Konig had been suspended after his arrest.

According to Hawaii news KITV, Maui Health released a statement regarding Konig: “We have been made aware of the allegations against Gerhardt Konig, MD. Dr. Konig has been suspended from the Medical Staff pending investigation. Dr. Konig is employed by an independent entity contracted to provide medical services at various medical facilities on Maui, including Maui Memorial Medical Center.”

“Most boring date I’ve ever been on in my life”

I met Gerhardt Konig on a dating app in 2016. He lied in his profile and said he was 6‘ tall. We got sushi at Umi and for the record, it was the most boring date I’ve ever been on in my life. pic.twitter.com/9Rnh0yDxht

— Aliah (@AliahXtine) March 25, 2025

Neighbors told Hawaii media that nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the couple. Reportedly, Konig and his wife have two small children. Unconfirmed details about Konig emerged in a social media post about him from a woman who claimed to have been on a date with him in 2016.

The X post from Aliah, whose profile says she’s a biopharmaceutical professional, says Gerhart is South African and had two small children from his first marriage. Aliah called the date “boring” but reported that Gerhart seemed ordinary.

In a comment, Aliah said, “To be fair, I didn’t get the vibe he was someone who snaps or would try to kill someone. He came across as just a nice but boring divorced dad originally from South Africa. I hope his wife will be okay.”