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Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on a hiking trail denied bail

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Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on a hiking trail denied bail
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News

Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on a hiking trail denied bail

2025-05-14 10:22 Last Updated At:10:31

A judge on Tuesday denied a Maui anesthesiologist's request to be released on bail while he fights an attempted murder charge on allegations that he tried to kill his wife on a Honolulu hiking trail.

Gerhardt Konig previously pleaded not guilty. His wife wrote in a petition for a temporary restraining order against him that they were hiking in Honolulu in March when he grabbed her, pushed her toward the edge of a cliff, attempted to inject her with a syringe and then bashed her head with a rock. Konig suggested they go on the hike while the couple were on a trip to celebrate the wife’s birthday, the petition said.

In denying the motion for bail, Judge Paul Wong said there's evidence that Konig hid from police, presents a serious flight risk and is a danger to the victim.

She has since filed for divorce. An attorney representing her is asking a judge to withhold the divorce case, filed earlier this month, from the public to protect the privacy of the couple’s young children and because of the “significant and arguably intrusive media coverage regarding the underlying events which precipitated this divorce.”

The Associated Press does not name people who are victims of domestic violence unless they consent to be identified or decide to tell their stories publicly.

What is known as “Pali Puka” trail is closed because the route is unsafe, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said. Hikers often enter through a small clearing near a popular lookout point that offers stunning views despite a warning: “Area Closed! Do not go beyond this sign.”

At one point, Konig grabbed her by her upper arms and started pushing her toward the cliff’s edge while yelling that he was sick of her, she said.

They began wrestling, and she screamed and pleaded for him to stop, fearing for her life, the petition said. During the struggle, she said he took a syringe from his bag and tried to inject her with something.

She said that she bit his arm in an attempt to defend herself.

He appeared to calm down, but then grabbed a nearby rock and “began bashing me repeatedly on the head with it,” she said.

Konig’s wife suffered major cuts to her head — from the jagged, softball-sized lava rock — and required surgery, prosecutors said.

While the couple were in Oahu, the two young sons stayed home on Maui with a nanny and family, according to the wife’s petition filed in family court. A judge signed an order saying Konig must stay away from her and their children.

Prosecutors, in opposing the bail request, said Konig “faces a realistic prospect of life imprisonment." He tried to flee after the attack and called his adult son, who he told he “tried to kill your stepmom” and told him he would turn off his phone so that police could not locate him, prosecutors said in a court filing.

He also hid in the bushes until nightfall, even though the attack happened in the morning, and led police on a search, prosecutors said.

When he was apprehended, he said, “Wait, she's not dead?" according to prosecutors.

Defense attorney Thomas Otake called it a “very small rock” and argued doctors said there wasn’t a substantial risk of death or a concussion from the wife’s injuries.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joel Garner said Konig was stashing lethal drugs at home, tried three different ways to kill his wife and has ties to South Africa, where he was born.

The petition for a restraining order said that in December, Konig accused his wife of having an affair.

In a court document filed Monday, prosecutors said Konig was storing at home syringes, needles and vials labeled anesthesia medication. On March 27, a few days after the alleged attack and when his wife was preparing to fly back to Honolulu for his grand jury proceedings, she discovered a fanny pack belonging to her husband that contained several syringes and several vials of what appeared to be drugs, the filing said.

“That’s not unusual that a doctor who practices medicine would have drugs,” Otake said, noting that none of the drugs were found on Oahu where the attack took place.

Konig has been held without bail since his indictment on March 28. In a motion seeking “bail at a reasonable amount,” his defense attorneys said Konig, 46, has no prior criminal convictions.

In court, Otake suggested bail between $100,000 and $200,000, arguing that while the divorce is pending he doesn’t have access to marital assets.

Otake said his client intends to go to trial: “This is going to be a ‘he said, she said’ trial.”

This version corrects the date the wife found syringes and vials at home. Prosecutors say she found them on March 27, not May 27.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.

Gerhardt Konig, charged with the attempted murder of his wife, enters a courtroom in Honolulu on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP) **NOT AN AP MEMBER**

Gerhardt Konig, charged with the attempted murder of his wife, enters a courtroom in Honolulu on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP) **NOT AN AP MEMBER**

FILE - Hawaii doctor Gerhardt Konig appears before a judge via video during an arraignment hearing after being indicted on allegation of attempting to kill his wife, April 7, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)

FILE - Hawaii doctor Gerhardt Konig appears before a judge via video during an arraignment hearing after being indicted on allegation of attempting to kill his wife, April 7, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)

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Bregman returns after lengthy injury absence and doubles in Boston's dramatic win

2025-07-12 11:27 Last Updated At:11:31

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman’s first game back with the Red Sox since late May had a dramatic flair to it.

Bregman went 1 for 4 with a double off the Green Monster as the Red Sox rallied for their eighth straight win when Ceddanne Rafaela's ninth inning homer lifted them over the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Friday night.

Boston manager Alex Cora said after the game that there are ground rules in place to make sure the All-Star third baseman doesn’t suffer a setback after missing 43 games with a quad strain.

Bregman won’t play on Saturday as the team is taking a long-range view with a player who was sidelined since May 24 when he sustained an injury that occurred when he rounded first base and felt his quad tighten up to the point where leaving the game was the best option.

A clear indication of the restrictions placed on Bregman came in the fifth inning Friday night when he hit a sharp grounder to third base but didn’t hustle down the line.

“When he hits a groundball, he’s not going to go all-out to first,” Cora said. “It might look bad, but we need him healthy and we’re going to keep him healthy.”

It’s a new reality that figures to take some getting used to, since Bregman is known for being a foot-on-the-gas-pedal-at-all-times ballplayer.

“Yeah, it sucks,” Bregman said. “But the first few weeks especially, just got to be smart out of the box. When I first got out there, my legs weighed like five pounds. Later in the game, it felt like they weighed a little more than that."

Bregman returned to his customary spot in the field and was slotted in the No. 2 spot of Boston’s lineup for the second of a four-game series against the Rays. A two-time World Series winner who spent the first nine seasons of his big league career with the Houston Astros, Bregman signed a $120 million, three-year contract in February.

At the time of the injury, he was hitting .299 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs. Those numbers led to Bregman being named an American League All-Star for the third time.

Earlier this week, Bregman said he was trending in a direction where he didn’t believe he would require a minor league rehab assignment. With three games left before the All-Star break, the Red Sox clearly agreed that the time was right to reinstate a player to a team that entered Friday in possession of one of the AL’s three wild-card berths.

“My body feels good. Super thankful to the training staff and strength and conditioning staff for allowing me to get back this quick,” said Bregman. “Initially, we thought it would be more like 12 weeks. To get back in seven weeks is awesome, but we’ve got to take it slow. On the days we’re not playing, we’re going to make sure my full hip complex is staying strong and my hamstrings and quads are good.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman dives for the ball on a left field single hit by Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman dives for the ball on a left field single hit by Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman runs to second base on an infield double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman runs to second base on an infield double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman gestures after hitting an infield double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman gestures after hitting an infield double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

FILE - Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman heads for the dugout after injuring himself on a single against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader on May 23, 2025, at Fenway Park in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)

FILE - Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman heads for the dugout after injuring himself on a single against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader on May 23, 2025, at Fenway Park in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)

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