Accused Doctor Says He Hit Wife in Self Defense

A Maui anesthesiologist accused of trying to kill his wife on a cliffside hike told jurors Wednesday that she was the aggressor in a fight that erupted after a confrontation over an alleged affair. Taking the stand in his attempted murder trial, Dr. Gerhardt Konig said an argument about his wife Arielle's relationship with another man ended with apologies, talk of therapy, and even a lookout selfie on a trail near Honolulu—until, he claimed, she suddenly shoved him at the cliff's edge, per Fox News. Konig testified that she grabbed his wrists, pulled him down, then seized his genitals and hit him in the face with a rock. A bloody rock was found at the scene, per Fox, but prosecutors say Konig used it to bash his wife's head, not the other way around.

Konig said he wrestled the rock away and struck her twice "on instinct," insisting he did not intend serious harm and was "horrified about what I did to her." A defense expert said her head wound, though bloody, was not life-threatening and looked consistent with a few blows, not up to 10. The couple's son previously testified that Konig called him after the incident and said he had tried to kill Arielle, a statement central to the state's case. Konig said he only mentioned that she'd accused him of trying to kill her. He also denied Arielle's testimony that he'd attempted to move her to the cliff edge, then attacked her with syringes. Though he admitted feeling "hopeless in our marriage," he said he'd planned the Oahu trip as a kindness to his wife, not with a plan to kill her, per NBC News.