A chilling statement made by a woman has come to light following an incident where her husband allegedly attempted to push her from a well-known tourist location.
Authorities in Hawaii recently announced the arrest of a man accused of trying to kill his wife, Arielle Konig, during a hiking excursion.
Anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig was apprehended by law enforcement after a “brief foot chase” on the Windward Oahu hiking trail.
Police reported that the 46-year-old tried to shove his 36-year-old wife off the Pali Lookout and also attempted to hit her with a rock on the head around 10 in the morning on March 24.
After the event, Arielle claimed that Konig attempted to jab her with two syringes, though the contents of these syringes are unknown.
According to People, citing an affidavit, Konig reportedly hit Arielle with a rock ten times and seized her hair, “smashing” her face into the earth.
The alleged attack, Arielle recounted, occurred after she refused to take a selfie with Konig near the edge of the picturesque spot.
The affidavit stated, “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.”
Konig allegedly “yelled at her to come back, and when she refused, he pushed her into the bushes where they began to struggle.”
“Arielle indicated that she was yelling for help and heard two other hikers; she was able to crawl over to them,” said the affidavit, mentioning that Konig tried to use two syringes on her, but she managed to wrest them away from him.
One hiker, alerted by Arielle’s cries, approached the scene and reportedly saw “a girl lying on her back in the grass with a man on top of her, hitting her on the head,” according to the affidavit.
The hiker heard Arielle exclaim, “He is trying to kill me,” and, “He is hitting me in the head with a rock.”
Konig reportedly walked away as the hiker’s companion called emergency services.
Arielle was subsequently taken to a hospital, classified as being in critical condition, with substantial injuries to her face and head.
Konig was later detained the same day.
He faces charges of second-degree attempted murder, according to Honolulu police, as reported by AP News. His bail has been set at $5 million.
Sanoe Kaaihue, executive director of Women Helping Women, addressed the incident, emphasizing that domestic violence can be present in any relationship.
She told Hawaii News Now: “Both prominent people in our community. Not just him, but also her. Highly intelligent, highly successful folks.
“DV (domestic violence) does not discriminate. I think time and time again, people are so surprised when they hear that it’s their teachers, it’s neighbors, it’s attorneys. It’s everybody from every single walk of life can be affected.”
She further commented: “What you’re seeing now is an outward expression of the things that they’ve been experiencing within the household.”
If you are facing domestic violence, please know that help is available. You can speak confidentially any time of day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge at 0808 2000 247.