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Shane
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Emily Simpson
Hear that?
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Emily Simpson
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Shane
rarewelldone.com
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on this episode of Plant Killers, we'll explore one nation's most notorious fruit and vegetable killer. Bad Dirt. What makes bad dirt so bad? The answer? The ingredients. But fear not, true crime enthusiasts, this story has a happy ending. Miracle Gro Organic raised bed and garden soil. It's made with quality organic ingredients from upcycled green waste like compost and aged bark. Unlike the other guys who can't say the same, looks like bad dirt's murdering days are over, thanks to Miracle Grow. Join us next time on Plant Killers.
Emily Simpson
Hi guys. Welcome to Legally Brunette presents Till Death Do Us Part, where we break down cases of Wives committing crimes against husbands and husbands against wives.
Shane
Namely homicide.
Emily Simpson
Mostly homicide, yes. And I felt like if we ever ran out of homicide cases, we could move into, you know, attempted murder or other types of things. But there doesn't seem to be a lack of homicide cases out there.
Shane
So it's not an economy driven crime.
Emily Simpson
It's. There's a lot. So, anyway, I'll be your host, Emily Simpson, along with my co pilot over here, Shane. And Shane's. I know you guys can't see, but he's drinking a Big Gulp. And just in case you were wondering visually what Shane looks like at the moment. Oh, also, by the way, before we get into this, a lot of you guys send me dms, which I love about the podcast. And first of all, the first takeaway I have is that so many of you have said that you enjoy Shane because he's been talking a lot more and has a lot more opinions and you love to hear him talk. And I appreciate that. But the second I got a lot
Shane
of DMS about, it's because you're talking less.
Emily Simpson
Okay. I got a lot of DMS about how funny people thought you were that you just. I don't know, that you. You have the. Your fascination, your hate fascination with Meghan Markle,
Shane
as ever.
Emily Simpson
Yeah. How's that going?
Shane
I don't know. I should order some jam and some Wickless candles.
Emily Simpson
All right.
Shane
I know Wickless candles is just wax. It's like, do you want a. A cup of wax?
Emily Simpson
Yes.
Shane
That's all she sold?
Emily Simpson
Yes. Do you have any new hatred towards her or.
Shane
I'm not seeing anything. Right. Lately.
Emily Simpson
Okay, well, for the next podcast, could you please. Could you please maybe some Instagram stories of her so we could get your feedback?
Shane
Yeah.
Commercial Announcer
Okay.
Shane
It's not just me. Netflix doesn't want her either.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, it's you and Netflix.
Shane
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
Did Netflix reach out to you and ask you how you feel about her podcast?
Shane
Flopped.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Shane
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
Well, she's just a flop all around, right?
Shane
Yeah, she's trying to be. She's trying to buy her way to be the next Martha Stewart, and it's not working out.
Emily Simpson
You can't buy your way to that. You just have to be that.
Shane
Yes, that's right. You earn it.
Emily Simpson
All right, so today we are going to get into the case of Gerhard Koenig and his wife, Ariel Koenig. And if you have been following Court TV at all, or the news, or my news source, Instagram, you would see that this case is on trial right now. Also, we did an episode a year ago on Legally Brunette, but it was a brief overview of this case because it, when it first came out and it came out publicly, there wasn't a lot of information. Now that he is going to trial, we are following along with the trial, so we're going to take another deep dive into this. And also it has to do with the husband trying to murder his wife. So it works out well for till death do us part. Gerhard Koenig is a 47 year old Maui anesthesiologist who was arrested back in 2024 in connection with the attempted murder of his wife while the couple was hiking together in Hawaii. According to investigators, Dr. Koenig allegedly pushed his wife Ariel. She's 37 year old. She's a nuclear scientist. Did you know that?
Shane
Yeah, I did, actually. She was a stay at home nuclear scientist.
Emily Simpson
A stay at. What's the stay at home nuclear science
Shane
like a stay at home mom, But I think she used to be a nuclear scientist.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, that's like when it's like, you know,
Shane
remotely. I don't think.
Emily Simpson
You don't think you get to work from home as a nuclear. Well, I mean, I guess if you're in front of a computer, but I don't even know what nuclear scientist means. It sounds very scientific and intelligent.
Shane
Yes, it is.
Emily Simpson
So he allegedly pushed his wife Ariel toward a cliff, tried to inject her with a syringe and struck her repeatedly with a lava rock. Luckily, his wife survived this attack and can live to tell her story, which is what she's doing now during the trial. I. We watched her testimony last night.
Shane
Lava rocks are sharp.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Shane
Extremely sharp.
Emily Simpson
We'll get into that. Gerhard Conan.
Shane
Ask me how I know.
Emily Simpson
How do you know?
Shane
Cuz I climbed a volcano once.
Emily Simpson
You climbed a volcano?
Shane
Yes.
Emily Simpson
Where?
Shane
And the rock is sharp. Where did you climb a volcano in Cape Verde? The Cape Verdan Islands where I lived for almost a year. There was active volcanoes and the whole island, it was ash. And then when you walk on the beach, it was. It was black sand because it was ash or volcanic rock. And it's very sharp. You couldn't really walk barefoot.
Emily Simpson
Very easy. Was it an active volcano that was
Shane
smoke coming out all the time? Yes.
Commercial Announcer
Okay.
Emily Simpson
Do you want to explain why you spent a year in Cape Verd?
Shane
Well, I was on a church mission.
Emily Simpson
Yes.
Shane
For my church. And it covered Portugal and Cape Verde and islands.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Shane
So I was in Portugal for a year and then Cape Verde for a year.
Emily Simpson
Do you speak Portuguese?
Shane
Yes.
Emily Simpson
What do you speak in Cape Verd criolo. Do you speak that?
Shane
Yes.
Emily Simpson
I love. I love getting these little Shane Simpson anecdotes.
Shane
You knew I spoke.
Emily Simpson
I was just asking because I know
Shane
that the audience in a long time, though, so. A little rusty.
Emily Simpson
All right, back to Dr. Koenig. We'll just take.
Shane
But if you ever want to take a trip to a third world country.
Emily Simpson
Yes.
Shane
We can go to the Cape Verdean Islands.
Emily Simpson
Okay. Well, I do talk about field trips for legally brunette, but I don't know if a crime has taken place there.
Shane
Oh, there's crimes there?
Emily Simpson
Oh, yeah. Well, we should look one up and talk about it. Koenig has pleaded not guilty and faces a charge of attempted second degree murder. And if convicted, he could face life in prison. Let's just go back and take a little dive into this timeline and the details of what actually life.
Shane
And it should be life in prison because even if he didn't succeed in murdering her, you don't want this guy on the loose.
Emily Simpson
Well, here's the thing.
Shane
And. Do it again. And who's. Who would want to date a guy like this? Like, oh, oh, you were married before. Oh, what happened? How did. Why didn't it work out?
Emily Simpson
What do you mean? Who would want to date a guy like this? We have had so many conversations about these.
Shane
You're right. I forget you women will date murderers.
Emily Simpson
Yes. I just saw an update. As I was researching and looking at this case, some. Some other information came up about Wade Wilson and was another woman that he was in some serious relationship with that was talking about how they were going to get married, and then they were making references to Wade's wives. So, you know, even if for some reason.
Shane
Okay, but he's in jail. And I think that's an appeal to. To those people for whatever psycho reason that's the appeal to them. If this guy's out on the street, you know, like regular, and you're at a restaurant with them, and then you. You Google him and you come to learn that he tried to kill his wife. Yeah, well, yeah, you're not going to pursue that relationship.
Emily Simpson
Well, someone will.
Shane
Someone, Someone will.
Emily Simpson
But he is not going to claim that he tried to kill his wife. We know that the defense is trying
Shane
to say he's a weak man and she tried to hit him with that.
Emily Simpson
They were just having a volatile relationship on their hike and that she attacked him and that he was just, you know, he was. It was self defense.
Shane
All right, so they're on a cliff.
Emily Simpson
Well, let's get. Let's get into it. So March 24th of 2025. So this was actually one year ago. The couple were celebrating Ariel's birthday in Oahu, Hawaii. This comes after a months long rough patch after Ariel admitted to having an emotional affair with her co worker.
Shane
There's no such thing as an emotional affair.
Emily Simpson
I was just gonna ask you how you feel about when people define something as an emotional affair. You know what emotional affair means? Emotional affair means I didn't have sex with them.
Shane
I don't even know if it means that.
Emily Simpson
It does. It means I no.
Shane
Emotional.
Emily Simpson
Yes it is emotional affair.
Shane
It's a cover up.
Emily Simpson
No, an emotion. By saying emotional affair, that means that we were just connecting and texting.
Shane
If it truly was. If it truly was an emotional affair. But I'm sorry, it wasn't. I don't even know these people. But I'm telling you, it likely wasn't.
Emily Simpson
Probably not. She probably did have sex with him.
Shane
Okay, so.
Emily Simpson
But I'm saying when people classify an affair as an emotional affair, that's their way of trying to say they didn't physically. There wasn't any physicality going on. They were just connecting like soul mates. Not having sex. That's what emotional affair means. Well, you can say it's BS all day long.
Shane
I'm just saying all day long.
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Happy Earth Month. Garnier is proudly partnering with the National park foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. Garnier's support of the National Park Foundation's Service Corps program is enabling young adults and veterans to help care for and enhance the national parks that we all love. The National park foundation and Garnier are proud to support these individuals as they explore future careers, gain practical field skills, develop confidence as leaders, and help address priority projects across our national parks. Together, Garnier and the National park foundation are committed to a shared vision of preserving and protecting our most treasured places for future generations. Want to lend a hand? Explore Garnier's partnership with the National park foundation and learn how you can help support our national parks@garnierusa.com NPF by the
time I hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things, like how family is precious, work can always wait. And 99% of people over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles. Not everyone at risk will develop it, but I did. The painful blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Don't learn about your shingles. Risk the hard way. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today. Sponsored by gsk.
Mariah Rose
Hi, everyone, this is Mariah Rose, co host of Full Circle and the creator behind Hoops for Hotties. Whenever I'm headed out to a workout first thing in the morning or getting ready to yap about sports with the girls, I'm drinking Gatorade lower sugar. Whether I'm tired, out of breath, or dehydrated after a hot yoga class, Gatorade lower sugar helps keep me hydrated. I've always been a Gatorade girly. I grew up getting it at the gas station with my brother. But I don't always need more sugar in my life. So Gatorade lower sugar is Perfect. It has 75% less sugar than regular Gatorade and all the electrolytes. Gatorade is the first drink I always want to grab from the fridge. Nothing hits better than an ice cold Gatorade after a workout. It hydrates better than water and has no artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors. Try Gatorade Lower sugar today available on Gatorade.com and in stores nationwide.
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Emily Simpson
Okay, so they were hiking the Palipuka Trail, a narrow cliffside path that stands 1200ft high, according to police reports. In Ariel's initial statement, Gerhard had asked her to take a selfie near the cliff's edge. When she declined because she felt very unsafe, he allegedly became very angry. I mean, can you just. First of all, I'm picturing this in my mind where he's like, let's take a selfie. No, no, no. Back up.
Shane
No, no, no. Be within 6 inches of the edge.
Emily Simpson
Back. More, more. So anyway, I know during her testimony we were Watching, she says that she felt so unsafe that she grabbed onto a tree. And she's holding onto a tree, right? And I'm sure when she grabs. That was not part of his plan. I'm sure when she is holding on to this tree, he's like, well, now how am I gonna throw her off?
Shane
Nothing works for me.
Emily Simpson
She's anchored herself down. So he allegedly becomes very upset that she doesn't want to keep getting closer to the edge. And she's holding on to a tree. She claims during her testimony that he goes up to her and he like grabs her by the shoulders. And then at the next point he, I guess he tries to push her towards the edge and that they struggle with each other. And then she actually falls to the ground. I think that's the way she saves herself.
Shane
First he says, I'm sick of this.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, I'm sick of this. I'm sick of you. Yeah. So they go from having a lovely walk on her birthday, I guess even that morning, he gave her a birthday card that had like all these nice things written.
Shane
This guy was creating a story. Yeah, yeah, it was, it was like. And he had dinner reservations and this is a great moment. So he could be like, look, I just. Why would I throw her off?
Emily Simpson
I gave her a card.
Shane
Dinner reservations, right?
Emily Simpson
So, so then when he comes, becomes aggressive with her and he like grabs her and he's like, I'm sick of this and I'm sick of you. And we're done with you.
Shane
I of the tree.
Emily Simpson
I call it the tree. This is when she ends up on the ground. I assume that she went to the ground cuz she knows she's close to the edge.
Shane
That might have been that the way
Emily Simpson
to feel safe is to like.
Shane
Yeah, lower center of gravity, right?
Emily Simpson
And she's holding on to like shrubbery and bushes.
Shane
That's exactly what she described, right?
Emily Simpson
So then he ends up getting on top of her. He's straddling her, right? He's sitting, he's on top of her. And then they're struggling and he. And she's screaming, help me, help me. He's trying to kill me. And then he ends up picking up a rock. And we know it's a lava rock. And like what you just said was sharp. They're very sharp. And he starts bashing her in the head with this lava rock. And she's screaming and she's screaming for help. She claims that he struck her head repeatedly, reportedly about 10 blows, while also grabbing her hair and forcing her down. So she's on the ground. He's straddling on top of her.
Shane
She fought. Yeah, she fought back. Good.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, she.
Shane
And he. She even grabbed him in the. The nuts.
Emily Simpson
She did. She says she. She bit him.
Shane
She bit his forearm and she grabbed
Emily Simpson
his testicles is what she said. Yeah.
Shane
Yeah, because she was. And good for her. She was doing everything she could to not let him take over her.
Emily Simpson
Right. She also claims that she was trying to reason with him the same time because she was saying, oh, yeah, don't do this.
Shane
I'm gonna die.
Emily Simpson
You're gonna go to jail.
Shane
Our kids will be orphans.
Emily Simpson
Right. And she said that he. He took a brief pause before.
Shane
But yeah, then.
Emily Simpson
But then he.
Shane
No, he took a. She said it looked like he took a brief pause, took a breath, like he was almost reflecting on what she said.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Shane
But then he just grabbed some rocks and just bashed her in the head.
Emily Simpson
Right. Or he might. That might have been the point where she also claims that he was trying. That he grabbed a syringe and he had a syringe in his hand and I guess in his other hand he had a vial of some kind of liquid. This is what she. She claims. And she says that she hit his hand and the syringe flew out of his hand. But while, while all this is going on, she manages to start to crawl away and her screams were heard by two hikers who found her injured. I. We also saw the testimony of. Of one of those hikers that testified in court. She just claims that she and a friend went walking that morning at, like, she even knew the time. She said it was like 10:22am or whatever, and there'd.
Shane
Help me, help me, help me.
Commercial Announcer
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
And they just. They went up the entrance to this Pali Puka hike and they said they hadn't gone. They were only on the trail for maybe five minutes or something. Which also makes me think what was his. His intent. He must have just felt like he could have pushed her quickly off of the edge because this is a public. This isn't a. This is like a popular.
Shane
No, but obviously the story was going to be where we're taking photos and she fell over.
Emily Simpson
Right. So that's why he was trying to get her to back up as close as she could to the edge and he was just going to push her off that.
Shane
So it didn't matter if there was people around as long as they didn't see him actually shove her.
Emily Simpson
Right. But then she ruined his plans by not backing all the way up, grabbing
Shane
onto the tree plans by being a smart woman.
Emily Simpson
So she manages to crawl away. Her screams are heard by the two hikers we were talking about who then called 91 1. Gerhardt fled the scene but was later located and arrested by police. Now here's my question because I kept looking this up because I was confused about this. I do know that they. They rec. Heard the rock that he used to hit her in the head with because
Shane
it had DNA on it, because it
Emily Simpson
had blood on it. And obviously they're going to prove that it has, you know, his DNA and her blood and her DNA, all those things to corroborate her story of what happened. But also I was trying to find information about whether the syringe and the vial were recovered at the scene.
Shane
The syringe was not.
Emily Simpson
I thought it wasn't. And neither was whatever the vial of liquid is that neither.
Shane
I think neither were some of his items like his wallet and his phone were not either.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Shane
So it made me think somehow he ditched it or he succeeded.
Emily Simpson
My question is because she claims in her testimony that he had the syringe in his hand and that she, you know, hit his hand and it flew. He had to have quickly recovered it and then left the scene while I guess while she was crawling. She said she had to crab crawl. You know what crab crawl is?
Shane
Crawling like a crab or your back.
Emily Simpson
Like, you know what I mean? Like you're crawling.
Shane
She's not scooting on her butt.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, she's crab crawling away. And then I think when. When he realizes that there's people that have seen them and are saying, we're calling 91 1. We're gonna get you help. He had to have grabbed the syringe and vial.
Shane
Oh yeah. He used as an opportunity to think, okay, I'm not getting. She's not dead. I'm not getting away with this.
Emily Simpson
So he cleaned up, but he didn't take the rock. But I don't know.
Shane
Well the others I don't know.
Emily Simpson
But anyway, that was not recovered from the actual scene. I did read that Ariel, she claimed that she found like a fanny pack or a medical bag or something in their home that had syringes and like a vial in it that looked exactly like what he tried to use that day. But to me it seems like he would have. He would have. This is just dumped it somewhere.
Shane
Sloppy work. This guy is just a complete idiot. Well, I know but I mean, I'm glad that he didn't succeed.
Emily Simpson
I guess he thought I. I think he thought that it would have Just been easier. Just.
Shane
Oh yeah. He probably saw one push like, I hate you. I'm sick of this. And he shoved her and that's the end of it.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, because I think he buttered her up. Right. He gave her that nice card in the morning with all this nice flowery language about how much he loved her. And she testified that she thought that their marriage was now on the right track because there was this affair. But. And he was very jealous and he was angry and she thought like this whole birthday trip and the card and the dinner and everything was his way of like mo moving forward. So I think he thought if he did all of those things, he could just get this magical selfie together right on the edge and just push her off the edge. So then in late March of 2025, Gerhardt was indicted on a charge of second degree attempted murder and pleaded not guilty in Honolulu Circuit Court. A judge denied his bail and he remained in custody.
Shane
So he's been in custody ever since.
Emily Simpson
Yeah. Prosecutors allege that he also told his 19 year old son, and this is a FaceTime call, that he had, quote, tried to kill Ariel, but she had gotten away. So that's very interesting to me. There's still a couple more weeks of this trial to go.
Shane
Then why would, if the dad did say that, why would he call his son to say that?
Emily Simpson
Well, that wasn't his son with her. That was his son from his previous marriage.
Shane
It doesn't matter. Why would he call anyone?
Commercial Announcer
I don't know.
Emily Simpson
But I'm just telling you he has older children from like a previous marriage. And then he has two young sons
Shane
with her and the mother. That mother's still alive?
Emily Simpson
I. I believe so. Okay, so the 19 year old that he FaceTimed is not Ariel's biological son. He is Gerhardt's son from a past marriage. And Gerhardt and Ariel have a son together. Had a son together in 2020 and then another one in 2023. So they have very young boys together also. I just wanted to, when I was watching her testify and I was watching the trial, she looks very, very different on the stand than she does in the photographs that they show. So I don't know if you've noticed when they show a photograph, I saw
Shane
like a professional photograph, like her in her scientific lab coat or whatever.
Emily Simpson
No, I'm just talking.
Shane
She was kind of a little glammed up and cleaned up and.
Emily Simpson
Well, I'm just saying anytime they show a photo of her, even if it's with him, like a selfie with him or with the family or whatever. Like she looks different to me. She has makeup and her hair is done. She's very, very, very plain looking on the stand, which I think was on purpose by her, by her attorneys. I'm sure they want a little bit
Shane
more of like an innocent victim.
Emily Simpson
Yeah. Because, you know, he, the defense is going to claim that, you know, she had an affair, you know. Oh yeah, he's jealous. And then she was volatile and started some argument and then she was aggressive
Shane
with him and then she bashed herself with a lava.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, but so I'm saying I think it was a, I think it was a conscious probably choice for her to look very demure. Yeah, but she didn't look and she
Shane
didn't change her look. She just didn't dress up.
Emily Simpson
No, but I'm saying I think that was on purpose because at the end of the day you want to win the jury over. So if you're too attractive, then they could latch on to that. If she has makeup and she looks beautiful and glamorous, it's hard to see someone like as a victim. But when she has no makeup and her hair is simple and she doesn't have a stitch of, of mascara or anything on her face, I think the jury taps into that. She looks like she could be harmed. Do you know what I mean? It's like a subconscious thing. Like you look at her and you think she looks weak, she looks like a victim.
Shane
I don't judge people by the way they look.
Emily Simpson
Well, juries do. Juries do. And I'm telling you, I judge them by the inside. Right.
Shane
I get to know them first.
Emily Simpson
Sure.
Commercial Announcer
The thing about AI for business, it may not automatically fit the way your business works. At IBM, we've seen this firsthand. But by embedding AI across hr, IT and procurement processes, we've reduced cost by millions, slash repetitive tasks and freed thousands of hours for strategic work. Now we're helping companies get smarter by putting AI where it actually pays off. Deep in the work that moves the business. Let's create smarter business. IBM.
Happy Earth Month. Garnier is proudly partnering with the National park foundation, the official non profit partner of the National Park Service. Garnier's support of the National Park Foundation Service Corps program is enabling young adults and veterans to help care for and enhance the national parks that we all love. The National park foundation and Garnier are proud to support these individuals as they explore future careers, gain practical field skills, develop confidence as leaders and help address priority projects across our national parks. Together, Garnier and the National park foundation are committed to a shared vision of preserving and protecting our most treasured places for future generations. Want to lend a hand? Explore Garnier's partnership with the National park foundation and learn how you can help support our national parks@garnierusa.com NPF by the
time I hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things, like how family is precious, work can always wait, and 99% of people over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles. Not everyone at risk will develop it, but I did. The painful, blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Don't learn about your shingles risk the hard way. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today. Sponsored by gsk.
Mariah Rose
Hi everyone, this is Mariah Rose, co host of Full Circle and the creator behind Hoops for Hotties. Whenever I'm headed out to a workout first thing in the morning or getting ready to yap about sports with the girls, I'm drinking Gatorade Lower Sugar. Whether I'm tired, out of breath or dehydrated after a hot yoga class, Gatorade Lower Sugar helps keep me hydrated. I've always been a Gatorade girly. I grew up getting it at the gas station with my brother. But I don't always need more sugar in my life. So Gatorade Lower Sugar is Perfect. It has 75% less sugar than regular Gatorade and all the electrolytes. Gatorade is the first drink I always want to grab from the fridge. Nothing hits better than an ice cold Gatorade after a workout. It hydrates better than water and has no artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors. Try Gatorade Lower Sugar today available on Gatorade.com and in stores nationwide.
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Emily Simpson
2025 to 2026 is pretrial and evidence collection during this case. So police collected evidence from the hiking area, including a blood stained rock. There was also a backpack found. But I'm still kind of fuzzy on whether the backpack was found at the scene or whether he took the backpack with him and then it was recovered later when they arrested him later. I don't know. I feel like these details that are a little fuzzy will come out more as we go along. In the trial with testimony three days after the incident, Ariel Koenig reported that she did find a fanny pack containing a medical syringe, needles and drug vials. And the drug vials were identified as Propofol. I guess that's how you put. Is that how you put people to sleep? Propofol?
Shane
I. I don't know. I don't put people to sleep.
Emily Simpson
You don't put just.
Shane
I can look it up though.
Emily Simpson
Okay. Propofol. This was found in the couple's home in Maui. And that she testified that these matched the items that she saw him try to use during the attack. But the vials from the scene have not been recovered.
Shane
So again, it's used to. For general anesthesia, which would put her to sleep. Yeah. Or at least. Yeah, enough that he could shove her off the cliff.
Emily Simpson
But here's my question.
Shane
It would be in her blood system.
Emily Simpson
Right. So that's why he. But why would you bring it along? Because you wouldn't want to put it in her system. Because if she did fall off and they do an autopsy, they're going to find that in her system and then they're going to link him to it.
Shane
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
So I don't know in what world he thought that was a smart idea to do.
Shane
I don't know.
Emily Simpson
There's also body cam footage of Ariel at the scene, wounded and assisted by hikers, that was later shown to the jury. Did you see that?
Mariah Rose
Yeah.
Shane
She had blood all over. It looked really bad. I know that they tried to say it wasn't. It like she bled a lot, but the incisions weren't so bad or something like that. But it looked bad.
Emily Simpson
Right. Well, here's the thing.
Shane
She also looked really thrown off, like they were, you know, she was really a mess.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, I saw. And the body cam foot, they were like wrapping her head.
Shane
Right.
Emily Simpson
With gauze and she had blood all over her. You know, in order to, to find him guilty of attempted murder, the prosecution has the burden of proving that he intended to kill her that day.
Shane
Right. Not just hit her on the head,
Emily Simpson
not just hit her, not just injure her, not just push her down. They have to prove that he, his intent was to kill her. What the defense is going to do is try to downplay this whole thing into just some altercation that the two of them had and that he had no intent to kill her. So then on March 19th of 2026, this is when the trial begins. The attempted murder trial officially opens. Prosecutors outline their case, focusing on evidence and witness accounts of the attack. The defense argues that the incident was not attempted murder. Obviously, they're going to claim that he had no intent to actually kill her that day, but instead they're going to claim that. They claim that self defense.
Shane
It was hopeful she would die, but he did not intend to.
Emily Simpson
He did not intend to kill her. They claim self defense. And they also are going to contest elements such as the presence of the syringes. So obviously the defense is really going to focus on the fact that those syringes were never found at the scene, and that's going to go to her believability. That's what they're going to do. Right. They're going to say she's invented this story.
Shane
Not found doesn't mean they didn't exist. It just means not found.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Shane
Not seeing something doesn't prove it doesn't exist.
Emily Simpson
Exactly. But it, but the defense is going to latch onto that. They're going to pound that into the jury's head. That there, that she claims that there were syringes and a vi.
Shane
Did exist, is that lava, rock and blood all over her head.
Emily Simpson
Whether a confession was actually made, which is the FaceTime, and whether Ariel is a credible witness. So those are the things that the jury is going to have to figure out. Ariel Koenig took the stand and provided detailed testimony about the day of the attack. You know, we talked a little bit about her testifying because we did watch it, but she recounted hiking and feeling uneasy about the location due to its dangerous terrain and wind. I did read that the trail is very like, there's, there's areas that are very steep that you have to climb up, and then it, it gets very close.
Shane
It's not just like a path, right?
Emily Simpson
No, it's a. It's a popular hiking trail, but I think it's kind of strenuous. And, and, you know, there's a drop off. She also testified that after they took a selfie on the cliff, as she began to move away from the edge, Gerhardt, who was facing the cliff, allegedly grabbed her arm and yelled, I'm so effing done with this and get back over there. While trying to pull her toward the edge. I love that when his. His plan starts to fail because she won't get close, he just loses his mind and he just starts yelling at her, and he's like, get back over to that spot.
Shane
He. He didn't do a very good job.
Emily Simpson
Well, she's alive.
Shane
I know. I know. Well, he also underestimated her ability to fight back. But, you know, like, announcing, I'm gonna throw you off the cliff is pretty much what he did. That obviously put her on guard.
Emily Simpson
When did he do that?
Shane
When he said, like, I'm sick of this, and he, like, he. I think he grabs both sides of her.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Shane
I mean, that's kind of implying I'm gonna throw you off a cliff.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Shane
I mean, for her to be on guard and. And start to defend herself.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Shane
So I guess it was good he said that because he gave her a little bit of notice.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Shane
How does. How do people like that become a doctor? Like, how do you go through the. The all. I don't mean because he's a doctor, but all that work and all that diligence and all that planning and school. Pursuing something.
Emily Simpson
Education.
Shane
Yeah. And then. And then, you know, you're willing to throw it all. Then the way you solve problems, you try to kill someone.
Emily Simpson
I don't know. But that's the question. Is it because he's a doctor that he has some God complex and he has some ego problem, and he does feel like the way that he can take care of this problem is just to throw her off of a cliff instead of getting divorced? I'll never understand why divorce isn't an option.
Shane
Well, it is an option. He chose death instead.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, but that. But it wasn't an option for him. Why is throwing his wife off of a cliff and.
Shane
Because he wants her dead. He wants her out of the picture.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Shane
Doesn't want the kids to see her. He doesn't want her. And so that's more important than, like, you know, her living to him. Now he's in jail. His trip to Honolulu is a little bit longer than planned by about 25 years to life.
Emily Simpson
25 years to life. What do you think his sentence should be? Do you think he should get Right.
Shane
Yes.
Emily Simpson
Life in prison.
Shane
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
You do believe that he set out that day with the intent to kill her.
Shane
Yes. I watched her testimony and by the way she looked and the way she had composed herself and that she didn't have any makeup on, I believed her.
Emily Simpson
Oh my gosh. Well, too bad you're not on the jury then.
Shane
No, it was pretty believable.
Emily Simpson
Well, yeah, she's believable.
Shane
I thought, I thought her fighting back was something else. I mean, she, she never let go. She was constantly protecting herself. And then for her to go up there and testify like that, that was pretty awesome.
Emily Simpson
Right?
Shane
That guy, that guy had a smug and a smirk on his face non stop.
Emily Simpson
Well, I, the first day of testimony when they showed pictures of her, her injuries, he. He was crying because he got caught. Well, I think he. Well, I don't know why probably, but. But he was crying in court during that part. So I don't know. Here's the real question and this is the interesting part because the defense is claiming that. That he had no intent to kill her. Right. And that it was a scuffle and that she started in this and the rock was. Because he was defending himself. That's there.
Shane
Right.
Emily Simpson
It's self defense. Right. They're going to put him on the stand. He's going to testify on his own behalf.
Shane
Well, he's choosing to. He didn't have to.
Emily Simpson
Well, when that's your defense, then I believe like you, you have to tell your side of the story. So he's going to testify and the question is, is the jury going to find anything that he says to be believable?
Shane
Not if he's got that smirk on his face.
Emily Simpson
He shouldn't wear any makeup though.
Shane
No, he should.
Emily Simpson
He should look very demure.
Shane
He's. Yeah, it'll be, it'll be a good one to watch because when the defendant goes on the stand, it's much more interesting.
Emily Simpson
Oh yes, it is.
Shane
Than witnesses and cops.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Shane
Just saying what they saw.
Emily Simpson
Right. Because we've had testimony from.
Shane
Because it opens up a whole can of worms.
Emily Simpson
Yeah. Because there's been all the cops that have testified about what they saw that day. And you know, the footage, the witnesses have testified. There was also, I believe, a forensics person or a medical examiner someone test. Or a forensics person testified to the fact that like the blood found on the lava rock is her DNA. And then there was also, I believe, DNA found on the rock attributed to him. So now we've solidified that he did pick up the rock and that the blood was attributed to her. That was on the rock. Rock. But the interesting part is what's coming up, because you're right. I want to see him on the stand. I want to see how he answers questions. I want to see if he stays calm because really the prosecutor wants to irritate him. Right. He wants to get under his skin and show that he's, he's angry, that he's volatile.
Shane
He's going to try to break him.
Emily Simpson
He's going to try to break him. You can't handle the truth. That we need that moment.
Shane
What's that from?
Emily Simpson
That's from A Few Good Men. Have you ever seen that movie where the, where they. He just, just he, he goes out. It's. It's Tom Cruise and he's, he's cross examining and then he's, he's questioning him and questioning him and questioning him, and then he loses it. He just breaks the facade and he just goes and he's like, you can't handle the truth. And he just says all the things that he shouldn't say. So I'm saying we need a Few Good men moment with Dr. Koenig where he just loses it. And he's like, yeah, I wanted to take her out. I wanted to push her over the cliff. She's a. All right, so we'll see. Maybe that'll happen.
Shane
Maybe.
Emily Simpson
Okay. All right. So the trial is actively in progress with no verdict yet. As we were talking about that Dr. Koenig.
Shane
Jack Nicholson in that movie.
Emily Simpson
Yes. Okay, now we need to watch it.
Shane
I can picture him saying the. Because I think I've probably seen a clip.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, It's a good 90s movie. Yeah, it's a good lawyer movie. You would like it.
Shane
Oh, it sounds like a little dramatic.
Emily Simpson
Well, it is, but it's a good movie.
Shane
Well, it's Jack Nicholson.
Emily Simpson
Yes. Yeah.
Shane
So it's gotta be good.
Emily Simpson
It is. All right, so there's no verdict yet. However, we will continue to follow this trial because we definitely want to talk about Dr. Conan.
Shane
Oh, yeah.
Emily Simpson
Testimony, cross examination, which should be interesting, but we'll see. We're going to follow it and we will give you an update. It's fascinating and it's, it's everywhere. I feel like when we first talked about it a year ago on Just the Regular Lily Brunette, we did an episode on this. There wasn't much information and I don't feel like the media had really grabbed on to it yet. That I just thought it was really interesting.
Shane
Yeah. We just know this guy that had a medical bag and he tried right Right. And we, yeah, we didn't know all the details. We still don't know all the details.
Emily Simpson
Right. But obviously now there's more information because of the trial and the testimony. But now this case is, is huge. Every time I. There's so many articles and so many video clips. Yeah, it's, it's out there. So everybody's talking about it. So anyway, we wanted to follow the trial and do an update and do a more in depth, depth episode on this case. So anyway, again, our public service message to all our listeners out there is that divorce is always the better option. So if you are feeling like you want to go on a hike to Hawaii with your significant other and push them over. Yeah. On the Pali Puka is. What was it? Puka Pali. I don't know the Puka Pali.
Shane
Any trail really, for that matter, that has a cliff.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Shane
When you're patching things up after an affair.
Emily Simpson
Yes.
Shane
It's probably best to be at sea level.
Emily Simpson
Right. And I would say either you just have to move on from the affair or get divorced. Those are your two options. So anyway, thank you so much you guys for listening to Till death do Us Part. And if you have any suggestions of cases, please DM me on Instagram. I love to read those. Also, if you have any feedback, I love to hear that as well. And also please make sure to follow Legally Brunette wherever you listen to podcasts and and another reminder that our episodes do go into the 2T's network so you can listen to our episodes there. But all of our episodes are on our own feed. So if you're only listening to us through two T's, you're going to have to hop over and also listen to all of our episodes on the Legally Brunette feed. So anyway, thank you so much for listening. We appreciate you.
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Emily Simpson
Hear that?
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Emily Simpson
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Emily Simpson
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Emily Simpson
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Emily Simpson
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Podcast: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present
Host Feed: iHeartPodcasts
Legally Brunette Hosts: Emily Simpson & Shane
Episode Date: April 5, 2026
Case Discussed: The Attempted Murder of Ariel Koenig by Dr. Gerhardt Koenig
Emily Simpson and Shane host this special episode of "Legally Brunette presents: ’Til Death Do Us Part," focusing on the high-profile attempted murder case against Maui anesthesiologist Dr. Gerhardt Koenig, who is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, Ariel Koenig, a former nuclear scientist. The hosts take a "deep dive" into the case as new trial details have come to light, including Ariel’s harrowing survival story, evidence, and courtroom drama.
Emily: “He allegedly pushed his wife Ariel toward a cliff, tried to inject her with a syringe and struck her repeatedly with a lava rock. Luckily, his wife survived this attack and can live to tell her story, which is what she's doing now during the trial.” (06:15)
Emily (narrating Ariel’s actions): “She also claims that she was trying to reason with him the same time... You're gonna go to jail. Our kids will be orphans.” (17:24-17:35)
Emily: “Because we've had testimony from ... the forensics person ... the blood found on the lava rock is her DNA. And then there was also, I believe, DNA found on the rock attributed to him. So now we've solidified that he did pick up the rock...” (37:12-37:24)
Shane: “He's going to try to break him.” (38:01) (Regarding the prosecutor’s likely approach in cross-examination)
“She looks like she could be harmed. Do you know what I mean? It's like a subconscious thing. Like you look at her and you think she looks weak, she looks like a victim.” (24:44)
Shane: "He wants her dead. He wants her out of the picture." (34:41) Emily: "I'll never understand why divorce isn't an option." (34:33)
Emily: “Again, our public service message to all our listeners out there is that divorce is always the better option.” (39:45)
To Suggest Cases or Give Feedback:
DM Emily Simpson on Instagram; follow “Legally Brunette” on your podcast app for future updates and expanded coverage.
Public Service Reminder: If you're ever tempted to plan a "reconciling hike" after marital issues, "divorce is always the better option." (39:45)