By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-28 18:06:38 | Updated at 2025-03-31 12:32:02
2 days ago
To the outside world, they appeared to be the perfect couple: a handsome doctor ostensibly devoted to his pretty nuclear engineer wife and their two young sons.
But on Monday, Arielle Konig's world came crashing down when her husband allegedly launched a brutal attack on her during a hike near Hawaii's scenic Pali Lookout that left her suffering 'multiple lacerations to her face and neck'.
Prominent anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig, 46, was arrested and charged with second degree attempted murder. He is now locked up at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in Honolulu while his wife is recovering at The Queen's Medical Center with her mother by her side.
And now, DailyMail.com has exclusively learned that the vicious beating took place on Arielle's 36th birthday after the couple had flown into Honolulu early that morning for a day trip from their $1.5million home in Kahului on the island of Maui.
Konig, a former doctor at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), is alleged to have repeatedly struck his wife over the head with a rock ten times before two female hikers intervened.
'I just did not see this coming,' Christina Ferguson, 53, who has been working for the couple as a cleaner for the last six months, told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
'Nobody saw this coming. People are saying things like, "she probably had an affair, or she was cheating", but she's not like that at all.
'She's the kindest, most caring, patient, generous, loving person. I mean, every perfect attribute you could think of for a person, and that's her.
Gerhardt Konig's alleged brutal attack on his wife Arielle occurred on her 36th birthday, DailyMail.com has learned, while they were on a hike near Oahu's scenic Pali Lookout
The renowned anesthesiologist, 46, can be seen looking disheveled in his booking photo after he was officially charged with second-degree attempted murder on Wednesday
The couple were visiting Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout in Oahu at the time of the attack on Monday
'She worked from home, so she was not running around. And they just came back from a family vacation, just last month.'
The couple are originally from Pittsburgh and married on September 4, 2018, according to a marriage certificate seen by DailyMail.com – marking a second marriage for Konig who has two adult sons aged 19 and 22 with his ex-wife Jessica Patella.
They moved to Maui in 2022 after Konig secured his 'dream job' as a partner at the Anesthesia Medical Group – a medical contracting firm based in the picturesque town of Kahului that supplies anesthesiologists to hospitals throughout Hawaii.
Initially, the move appeared to have paid off, with the couple moving into a spacious five-bedroom home in a quiet cul-de-sac nestled in the foothills of the West Maui Mountains.
Neighbors said the Konigs appeared to be a happy family who rarely socialized with them but were devoted to their young sons Olin and Viggo.
Until last April, Konig regularly hosted 'whiskey nights' at the home which saw the dad-of-four entertain friends for liquor tastings.
'They weren't heavy drinking sessions but whiskey tastings,' said Michelle Hearne, 55, whose husband Lee, also 55, occasionally attended. 'They were for connoisseurs.'
Peter Mast, 71, who also attended the sessions, the last of which was on April 29 last year, said: 'They are very private people, as we all are here.'
The trail borders a steep 300ft drop down into the valley with little more than a waist-high fence to prevent people falling
The beauty spot is located more than 1,000ft above the coastline and offers stunning views of the Koʻolau cliffs and Windward Coast
Police were called to the scenic Pali Lookout at approximately 10:38am on March 24 by a pair of horrified female hikers who had stumbled across the attack, according to a statement of probable cause obtained by DailyMail.com
Arielle, meanwhile, worked for Bellevue, Washington, company TerraPower LLC which specializes in nuclear fuels and carried out her role from home – allowing her to have a hands-on relationship with her two sons, helped along by a nanny.
Until Monday, the pair appeared the perfect picture of a happy couple, with Ferguson telling DailyMail.com: 'He was nice and kind. Usually, he was quiet when he was home because typically, he'd be at work when I was there.
'But the couple times that he was there, he was quiet, polite, and carried a conversation.
She added: 'The way that they talked to each other was admirable. They were loving and so this just came completely out of nowhere.
'Typically, especially here in Hawaii where domestic violence is very common, you can see the signs – there's controlling behavior and whatnot.
'There was none of that here.'
On the day of the attack, the couple had made the short 25-minute hop from Maui to Oahu to celebrate Arielle's birthday, leaving their sons behind in the care of their nanny where they remain.
According to a statement of probable cause obtained by DailyMail.com, cops were called to the scenic Pali Lookout at approximately 10:38am by a pair of horrified female hikers named Amanda and Sarah who had stumbled across the attack.
The scenic spot sits on a cliff on the side of Oahu's Ko'oalu Mountain overlooking the Nuʻuanu Valley.
Friends of the couple have been left stunned by Konig's arrest, with some neighbors saying they saw no sign of trouble between the two
The couple are originally from Pittsburgh and married on September 4, 2018 - marking a second marriage for Konig who has two adult sons aged 19 and 22 from his previous marriage
The two moved to Maui in 2022, settling into a spacious five-bedroom $1.5million home in a quiet cul-de-sac nestled in the foothills of the West Maui Mountains
DailyMail.com photos show how the trail borders a steep 300ft drop down into the valley with little more than a waist-high fence to prevent people falling.
The site is famous for the Battle of Nuʻuanu that saw 400 Hawaiian warriors forced over the cliff to their deaths in 1795.
According to the statement of probable cause, Konig had asked his wife to stand close to the edge with him to take a selfie photo.
It goes on: 'Arielle expressed that she did not feel comfortable taking a picture with him that close to the edge, so she declined and began to walk back.'
At that point, Konig 'yelled at her to come back' and when she refused, picked up a rock and hit her on the head 10 times, as well as grabbing her by the hair and repeatedly smashing her face into the ground.
Konig was interrupted during the attack by the female hikers, who had been alerted by Arielle's cries of 'help me!' with the bloodied mom-of-two eventually able to get free and crawl towards them.
In a statement to police, which was made at the scene, the 36-year-old said her husband had also attempted to stick her with two syringes filled with an unknown substance.
Once Arielle reached the hikers, Konig, wearing a light gray t-shirt and blue shorts, continued up the trail towards the Pali Puka – a natural rock window located further up the mountain.
The couple made the move to Maui after Konig secured his 'dream job' as a partner at a medical contracting firm
Konig is now locked up at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in Honolulu while his wife is recovering in the hospital
Cops transported Arielle to hospital in a 'serious but stable condition' with 'multiple large lacerations to her face and head' while Konig went on the lam and was eventually arrested close to the Pali Highway at 6:10pm that evening.
Arielle remains in hospital with her mother Judith, 64, at her bedside while Konig is locked up on a $5million bond and faces a preliminary hearing in the case on Monday.
'Arielle's mom said that she was pretty banged up and doesn't look really good,' Christina Ferguson told DailyMail.com.
'She said she got stitches, but it looks like she's going to pull through.'
Of Konig, Ferguson added: 'I hope that nobody gets him out [of jail]. I hope that he just sits in there and has to think about what he's done and what he tried to do.'
