A Hawaii doctor convicted after prosecutors said he tried to kill his engineer wife at a scenic hiking spot could see his case upended after a message posted during a livestream appeared to predict the jury’s exact verdict.
Gerhardt Konig, a 47-year-old anesthesiologist, is now raising concerns that the jury behind his conviction in the March 2025 attempted manslaughter of his wife, Arielle, may have been improperly influenced or compromised.
The issue centers on a comment that appeared during a Law&Crime YouTube livestream as the case was still unfolding. The message read: ‘I’ve been texting with one of the juror’s [sic] and they’re going for count 3 attempted manslaughter.’
In April, Konig was convicted of that precise charge. Jurors acquitted him of other counts, including second-degree murder, after allegations that he tried to push Arielle off a cliff when he learned she had been involved in an emotional affair with another man.
Speaking Friday before Oahu First Circuit Court Judge Paul Wong, Konig’s attorney, Thomas Otake, argued that the livestream comment raised serious questions about whether at least one juror had violated a strict instruction not to discuss the case with anyone outside the jury during deliberations.
Konig’s defense team conceded that the ‘full scope’ of what occurred is still unclear, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. Still, in a court filing cited by CNN, they said there were ‘substantial concerns regarding the jury’s exposure to outside influence or extraneous information during deliberations.’
Konig, who faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, had been scheduled for sentencing on August 13. That hearing has now been postponed indefinitely while authorities continue investigating the alleged juror text.
Prosecutors had charged anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig, 47, with second-degree murder after he allegedly tried to kill his wife, Arielle, while hiking Oahu’s Pali Puka Trail in March 2025
Konig, pictured with Arielle, was found guilty of attempted manslaughter this April 8, but the jury that made that decision has been ordered to reconvene in court over potential tampering
Prosecutors alleged Konig planned to kill his wife during a trip to Honolulu for her birthday because she was having an affair with a coworker
The filing noted that the livestream comment was initially spotted and emailed to prosecutors by someone whose name was redacted, according to the outlet.
‘What caught my attention is that this commenter specifically predicted the verdict – that Konig would be convicted of attempted manslaughter – before it was announced,’ the undisclosed person wrote, per the report.
Prosecutors then told the judge about what happened. However, they insisted that the livestream comment was not grounds for a new trial unless there was actual proof of ‘external influence.’
‘A juror disclosing where the jury stands is certainly problematic, but on its own it does not indicate that the other party influenced that juror in any way,’ Deputy Prosecutor Joel Garner said in the reported filing.
Konig has also argued that he could get a new trial because of what jurors publicly commented after his verdict was delivered.
Jury foreperson Makalapua Atkins told reporters after the trial that ‘the intent to kill is improbable to us, based on the evidence presented.’ according to HawaiiNewsNow.
Atkins said in a sworn statement presenting alongside Konig’s appeal that ‘the jury did not unanimously believe that [he] had an intent to kill his wife,’ CNN reported.
She declined prosecutors’ request to be interviewed by them, according to the legal filings.
Another juror, who was only identified as Juror #3, said that he believed Konig to be ’emotionally unstable’ in an interview with KHON2.
‘I don’t know if he was trying to kill his wife personally,’ the juror told the outlet. ‘I do know that it was the capacity to kill his wife personally. That’s how I felt about it.’
Konig, pictured in court in April, has argued that there were issues with the jury. His defense noted a YouTube livestream comment that appeared to predict the outcome of his case
The jury in Konig’s case is scheduled to reconvene on September 11, as his defense argues that he deserves a new trial
Arielle could be seen on police body camera footage after the alleged attack by her husband last March
In response to what the jurors have said since Konig’s conviction, his defense argued that ‘conduct that could result in death or has the capacity to kill may be reckless, but it is not necessarily intentional,’ per CNN.
‘Hawaiʻi does not recognize attempted reckless manslaughter,’ the court filing continued.
Konig’s defense also stressed that the jury never convicted Konig of second–degree murder, effectively arguing that a new trial could not return to that charge.
Garner, the Deputy Prosecutor, argued that the foreperson’s comments were an example of ‘exactly the juror sharing their mental processes,’ the Star–Advertiser reported.
He pushed back on Konig’s defense and said that ‘any juror would be pressured knowing their verdict could be attacked, their thought process is not secret.’
Judge Wong set a new hearing for September 11, when the jurors will return to court before a decision is made on a possible new trial.
Arielle has since filed for divorce. She testified that Konig had attacked her while on the hike and tried to push her off the edge while also using syringes in the alleged assault
Konig, alongside his defense attorney Thomas Otake, reacted like this after his verdict. Otake is arguing that the jury may have been influenced by external forces while deliberating
This picture was shown during the trial, which featured Konig at the beauty spot. The shot was posted on his wife Arielle’s Snapchat account
Prosecutors previously claimed that Konig had planned to kill Arielle during a weekend trip to Honolulu for her birthday because he was upset about her relationship with a married coworker.
He allegedly attempted to push her off a cliff on Oahu’s stunning Pali Puka trial, as well as tried to stab her with a syringe.
Konig then allegedly tried to hit his wife with a rock before being interrupted by two hikers who overheard what was happening.
He testified in court that it was his wife who attacked him first, and that he had acted in self–defense.
Konig told the courtroom that Arielle was having an affair, which he had found out through her WhatsApp account.
Arielle testified that she had an ’emotional affair’ with the coworker that included daylong message exchanges but never turned physical, according to Courthouse News.
She told the court that her husband attacked her and tried to drag her over the cliff’s edge.
In her testimony, Arielle said that Konig attempted to use syringes in his attack, but that she fought her off by biting his forearm and squeezing his testicles.
The anesthesiologist fled the scene afterwards and called his adult son from a previous marriage, Emile.
Emile testified against his father during the case and told the courtroom that his father admitted to trying to kill Arielle.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Otake, Konig’s attorney, and the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case, for further comment.
