A judge in Hawaii has denied bail to a doctor who allegedly tried to kill his wife while the two were hiking on a Honolulu trail in March.
The anesthesiologist, 46-year-old Dr. Gerhardt Konig, was charged with attempted second-degree murder after he allegedly tried to kill his wife on March 24 while they were hiking on Oahu’s Pali Lookout trail. His bail was previously set at $5 million.
Konig has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
Konig’s attorneys argued in a motion that bail should be set at a “reasonable amount” since the defendant has no prior criminal history. Prosecutors opposed the bail request, saying that Konig “faces a realistic prospect of life imprisonment,” noting he tried to flee the area after the alleged attack.
Prosecutors also wrote in the court filing that Konig allegedly called his adult son after the attack, telling him he “tried to kill your stepmom.”
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Judge Paul Wong denied the motion for bail, saying that Konig attempted to hide evidence from police and is a serious flight risk. Wong also said that Konig is a danger to his wife.
Court documents previously obtained by Fox News Digital state that Konig’s wife told police that her husband stood “close to the edge and asked her to take a selfie with him.” Konig’s wife declined, telling police she did not feel comfortable “taking a picture with him that close to the edge” and “began to walk back.”
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When Konig’s wife began walking back, Konig began yelling and allegedly pushed her into nearby bushes. After she got away from Konig, he allegedly “picked up a rock and struck her in the head approximately 10 times while also grabbing the back of her hair and smashing her face into the ground,” according to an affidavit.
Konig’s wife began screaming for help and tried crawling over to two other hikers. Konig then took out two syringes from his back and tried to “use them on her,” the affidavit stated.
A hiker who was identified as “Amanda” in court documents told police that she found Konig on top of his wife, hitting her in the head with a rock.
“He is trying to kill me,” Konig’s wife said, according to prosecutors.
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An individual named in court documents as “Sarah” dialed 911 and assisted Amanda in helping Konig’s wife to a separate area while Konig fled the scene.
Following a “brief foot pursuit,” police arrested Konig near Pali Highway. Following his arrest, according to prosecutors, Konig said “Wait, she’s not dead?”
In a court filing on Monday, prosecutors accused Konig of storing needles, syringes and vials labeled anesthesia medication. Prosecutors said Konig’s wife found her husband’s fanny pack that contained vials and syringes, adding Maui police sent the items to the Honolulu Police Department.
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During Tuesday’s hearing, Konig’s attorney, Thomas Otake, said it is not unusual for doctors to have such drugs at home.
“That’s not unusual that a doctor who practices medicine would have drugs,” Otake said.
Otake asked for bail between $100,000 and $200,000 before the judge denied his request.
A Maui Health representative previously told Fox News Digital that Konig was suspended from his job as an independent contractor at Maui Memorial Medical Center.
“Dr. Konig is employed by an independent entity contracted to provide medical services at various medical facilities on Maui, including Maui Memorial Medical Center,” the spokesperson said. “Dr. Konig’s medical staff privileges at Maui Memorial Medical Center have been suspended pending investigation. Maui Health takes these concerns and the safety of its patients very seriously and will cooperate with authorities as appropriate.”
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The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
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