Doctor Convicted of Attempted Manslaughter of His Wife Seeks Retrial Due to Alleged Juror Misconduct and Errors

Doctor Convicted of Attempted Manslaughter of His Wife Seeks Retrial Due to Alleged Juror Misconduct and Errors https://ift.tt/xe8GTIw

Gerhardt Konig was convicted of attempted manslaughter by a Hawaii jury on April 8

Gerhardt Konig appears in court in Honolulu on April 7, 2026
Credit: AP Photo/Mengshin Lin, Pool

NEED TO KNOW

• Gerhardt Konig’s defense attorneys have asked for a retrial, four months after the Hawaii doctor was found guilty by a jury of the attempted manslaughter of his wife, Arielle Konig
• The attorneys claim juror misconduct and errors may have influenced the verdict in his trial
• A judge said he will investigate claims of outside influence on the jury before deciding on a potential retrial

Four months after a Hawaii doctor was found guilty of attempting to kill his wife, his defense team is asking for a new trial.

Gerhardt Konig was convicted of attempted manslaughter based on extreme mental or emotional disturbance by a Hawaii jury on April 8, more than a year after his wife, Arielle Konig, alleged that he tried to kill her on a hiking trail during a trip in 2025.

However, Gerhardt’s defense attorneys argued in court on Friday, Aug. 14, that the case should be retried because comments made by two jurors to the media after the trial indicated that the jury may not have come to a unanimous agreement on whether Gerhardt intended to kill his wife, per CNN, KITV News and Hawaii News Now. 

Gerhardt’s attorneys also cited a social media video where an anonymous commenter claimed they had been messaging with a juror during deliberations on the case, which is a violation of court rules, according to Hawaii News Now.

Gerhardt Konig reacts in court after his verdict is read by the jury on April 8, 2026
Credit: Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP, Pool

“I’m not faulting the jurors. They’re human. They’re trying their best. But mistakes happen, misunderstandings happen,” Gerhardt’s defense attorney Thomas Otake said, per the outlet.

“Allowing the verdict to stand with clear evidence that it was reached in error and not taking this opportunity to correct it, that would be a failure and that would be wrong,” he added, per KITV News.

First Circuit Court Judge Paul Wong said during Friday’s hearing that he would bring jurors back to investigate whether there’s any veracity to the claims before making a decision.

“The court must ascertain the extent of the influence, so the burden is on me,” he said, per Hawaii News Now. “I have to do what I really don’t want to do and bring in these jurors and ask whether they were tainted by outside influence.”

Gerhardt’s trial began on March 19 and included testimony from Arielle, a 37-year-old nuclear engineer, her stepson and Gerhardt’s son Emile Konig, a responding officer and a hiker who witnessed the attack.

A mugshot of Gerhardt Konig.
Credit: Honolulu Police Department

In her testimony on March 24, Arielle claimed Gerhardt tried to pull her to the edge of a steep cliff before trying to inject her with an unknown substance and eventually bashing her head with a rock. Arielle said her husband fled the scene and two hikers came and called 911 after hearing her screams for help.

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Emile testified against his father on March 31 and told the jury that Gerhardt called him immediately after the attack and said he had “tried to kill” Arielle and that he was going to jump off a cliff. Emile alleged that Gerhardt told him Arielle had “gotten away” after he attacked her.

Gerhardt is currently in prison without bail, according to Hawaii News Now. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 11, per the outlet.