Maui doctor tried to use syringes on his wife while assaulting her on hiking trail, police say

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER The Associated Press
Updated: March 28, 2025 - 2:11 AM
Published: March 28, 2025 - 2:07 AM

HONOLULU (AP) — A Maui doctor tried to use two syringes on his wife after pushing her off a hiking trail and hitting her head with a rock about 10 times, police said in court documents released Thursday.

Gerhardt Konig’s bail was set at $5 million and a preliminary hearing in the attempted murder charge is scheduled for next week. An attorney listed for him in court documents didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.

The alleged assault stemmed from Konig’s desire to take a selfie while the couple was on Pali Puka Trail in Honolulu on Monday, according to a probable cause document filed in court. The trailhead is a short drive from downtown Honolulu and traverses a ridge with dramatic ocean and mountain views.

“She mentioned that while on the trail, Gerhardt was standing close to the edge and asked her to take a selfie with him,” said a Honolulu police declaration. Konig’s wife said she told him she didn’t feel comfortable taking a picture with him that close to the edge and began to walk back.

He yelled at her to come back and when she refused, he pushed her into bushes where they began to struggle, according to the document. The wife managed to get away.

Konig then picked up a rock and hit her on the head about 10 times “while also grabbing the back of her hair and smashing her face into the ground,” the document said. She crawled over to two hikers who heard her yelling for help, and the hikers called 911.

The wife also told police she saw “Gerhardt take out two syringes from his bag and attempt to use them on her, but she was able to get them away from him,” the police declaration said.

She sustained multiple large lacerations to her face and head and was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.

Konig fled the scene, prompting an hourslong search and the closure of a state park, police said. Officers arrested him that same evening following a brief foot chase.

Konig is an anesthesiologist at Maui Health, which operates hospitals and clinics in Maui County and is an affiliate of Kaiser Permanente. Maui Health said in a statement to media organizations that he was suspended pending investigation.

Maui Health’s online directory previously listed Konig as a provider, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, but his name was no longer in it Wednesday.

Kaiser Permanente said in a statement that Konig is not an employee, but is employed by an independent entity contracted to provide medical services. Kaiser said it has suspended his credentials and his ability to treat patients, pending investigation.