CLIFFSIDE HORROR

Hawaii Doctor Accused of Trying to Kill Wife on Hike Learns His Fate

Prosecutors said the anesthesiologist tried to stab his wife with a syringe before striking her over the head with a rock during a hike.

The Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife during a hike last year has been convicted of attempted manslaughter based upon extreme mental or emotional disturbance. A Honolulu jury convicted Gerhardt Konig, 47, on the manslaughter charge after deliberating for more than eight hours. It did not convict on the more serious second-degree attempted murder charge, to which Konig had pleaded not guilty. Konig bowed his head and covered his face with his hands after the verdict was read, according to NBC News. He could face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 13. According to prosecutors, Konig attacked his wife during a cliffside hike in Honolulu on her birthday last year. Arielle Konig alleged that her husband, an anesthesiologist, first tried to stab her with a syringe before striking her over the head with a rock. Prosecutors said Konig was planning to shove her over the cliff but stopped after hikers witnessed the alleged assault. Konig claimed he acted in self-defense, saying Arielle had tried to push him from the trail. Konig had discovered his wife’s emotional affair three months before the alleged attack.