WIFE OF 'BELOVED' DR. FACES DEATH AT SHEER CLIFF EDGE ON 'ROMANTIC' GETAWAY

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: "Wife of 'Beloved' Dr. Faces Death at Sheer Cliff Edge on 'Romantic' Getaway"

Date: March 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace unpacks the shocking attempted murder case involving prominent anesthesiologist Dr. Gerhard Koenig, who allegedly tried to kill his wife Ariel during what was supposed to be a "romantic" hiking trip in Hawaii. Digging into the chilling details and strategies from both prosecution and defense, Nancy and her panel of experts dissect motives, physical evidence, and the complex psychology behind domestic violence that escalates to near-fatality. The episode combines legal analysis, psychological insight, and powerful witness accounts, translating a harrowing real-life event into a compelling exploration of crime and justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime Scene and Immediate Aftermath

[02:53-04:03]

• Nancy Grace sets the stage: Ariel, wife of Dr. Koenig, narrowly survives being pushed off a steep Hawaiian cliff during a planned getaway.
• 911 call audio captures hikers reporting seeing a man brutally attacking a woman covered in blood at the trail's edge.

[04:03-07:24]

• The hikers describe walking away from the scene out of fear for their lives despite witnessing Ariel’s desperate escape attempts.
• Nancy and Dr. Bethany Marshall (psychoanalyst) discuss the shock and paralysis witnesses may feel in life-threatening moments.
• Quotes:
  • “The woman is getting her brain bashed out. She's down. The husband is on top of her with a rock, and they say, we walked away…” — Nancy Grace [07:24]
  • “They must have gone through so many split second decisions. Do we attack him? Will he attack us? Will he push us over the cliff?” — Dr. Bethany Marshall [08:04]

2. Prosecution’s Case: Evidence of Premeditation

[10:37-12:41]

• Prosecution claims: Koenig planned the attack, wielded a rock, and may have brought a prefilled syringe—potentially with a dangerous sedative (propofol), suggesting preparation and intent to kill.
• Alexis Toreschuk (investigative reporter): Ariel feared the syringe, which is consistent with an anesthesiologist's access to lethal drugs.
• Nancy Grace: Stresses how the syringe, if prepared in advance, undermines the claim of a heat-of-the-moment attack.

“He is an anesthesiologist, and she says that as he was attacking her, holding her on the ground, that she saw him with a syringe in his hand...” — Alexis Toreschuk [12:19]

3. Defense Arguments: Reputation, Self-Defense, and Missing Evidence

[13:01-15:34]

• Troy Slayton (defense attorney) argues there’s no found syringe and leans on Dr. Koenig's good reputation.
• The defense narrative: Ariel attacked first amid marital disputes; Koenig acted only in self-defense.
• Nancy sardonically rebuts reputation arguments and questions the plausibility of self-defense in this context.

“If you wanted to make the story sound worse…” — Troy Slayton [13:34]
“I'm not going to make it back. I tried to kill Ariel, but she got away.” — Koenig, as relayed in testimony [44:58]

4. Injury Details and Analysis

[15:34-16:59]

• Dr. Kendall Crowns, forensic pathologist, explains Ariel’s injuries—multiple facial lacerations, bleeding, risk of skull fracture.
• The amount of force and repeated blows required suggest prolonged, targeted violence rather than random scuffling.

“...if he had kept pounding into the same area with the rock, he probably would have eventually crushed her skull and then damaged her brain.” — Dr. Kendall Crowns [16:05]

5. Relationship Context: Motives, Money, and Jealousy

[21:32-39:33]

• Nancy and panel discuss: Allegations of infidelity, toxic control, monitoring, and financial disputes marked the couple’s marriage.
• Ariel was accused by Koenig of affairs and financial impropriety (despite evidence she handled family expenses responsibly).
• Dr. Bethany Marshall identifies pathological jealousy, classic signs of domestic violence, and “projection” by perpetrators.

“Perpetrators of domestic violence usually have pathological jealousy. They always believe that the wife is having an affair. Always.” — Dr. Bethany Marshall [36:14]
“There's a bunch of red flags that Ariel has for potential homicide.” — Bill Hernandez (domestic violence detective) [37:34]

6. The Escalation: Hike, Attack, and Aftermath

[53:23-54:47]

• Koenig planned a birthday hike for Ariel, up Hawaii’s dangerous Poly Puka Trail, despite warning signs.
• Testimony: He allegedly manipulated Ariel to the cliff’s edge under the guise of a selfie before the attack.
• He fled after the hikers’ intervention, FaceTimed his adult son:

  "I just tried to kill Ariel, but she got away." — Koenig (as recounted by witnesses) [29:25, 44:58]

7. Legal Strategies and Trial Dynamics

[56:35-58:02]

• With the syringe never found, defense aims to undermine Ariel’s credibility; jury jury instructions allow that if any part of a witness’s story is doubted, all of it may be dismissed.
• Prosecution focuses on premeditation, Koenig’s flight, and his own confession attempts.

Notable exchange:

Nancy: "You almost cited the jury instruction exactly correct, Nancy. ...That's exactly what the defense attorneys will harp on..." — Troy Slayton [56:49]
Nancy: "...the truth is, you get one juror to believe, if she's made up part of her story, then they can discount all of her testimony." [55:57]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Imagine moments before you go over the edge, you look down and then look back up at the guy attacking you... is this the last face I'm ever going to see? That face.” — Nancy Grace [04:03]
• “This is not an angry moment where he grabs a rock, because it kind of sounds like spur of the moment... but the fact that there was a syringe, a pre-prepared syringe. Tell me about that.” — Nancy Grace [11:45]
• “If you enjoy anybody, if somebody sees your beauty, my control over you might slip. But I don't care at all if I have affairs because I lack empathy towards you and you're just an object.” — Dr. Bethany Marshall [38:09]
• “He literally said, ‘I just tried to kill Mommy.’” — Alexis Toreschuk (about Koenig’s call to his son) [29:44]
• “If even one part of a witness's story, their credibility is successfully attacked, the jury, under the law, is allowed to discount the testimony in its entirety.” — Nancy Grace [56:36]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:53] – Crime introduction: Ariel attacked at cliff’s edge
• [04:03-07:24] – 911 calls and witness testimony
• [10:37-12:41] – Prosecution’s opening: premeditation, syringe detail
• [13:01-15:34] – Defense: reputation and self-defense argument
• [15:34-16:59] – Medical details of Ariel’s injuries
• [21:32-39:33] – Analysis of control, jealousy, and domestic violence
• [44:58-45:29] – Koenig’s confession to his son, courtroom reaction
• [53:23-54:47] – The hike scene: danger of Poly Puka Trail
• [56:35-58:02] – Jury instruction, legal strategies over missing syringe

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Tone & Dynamics

• Fast-paced, emotionally charged, and relentless, Nancy Grace drives the conversation with pointed questions and sarcasm, challenging both prosecution and defense perspectives.
• Panelists deliver measured expert insight, balancing legal strategy with clinical and real-world observations on domestic violence dynamics.

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Summary Takeaways

• The case centers on Ariel's near-death experience at the hands of her husband on a dangerous Hawaii trail during a supposed romantic getaway.
• Evidence suggests premeditation (planned hike, possible syringe with sedative, prior history of jealousy/control), but missing physical evidence (the syringe) presents challenges.
• The defense argues reputation and self-defense, leaning into gaps in evidence, especially regarding the syringe and Ariel’s account.
• Witness testimony and Koenig’s own alleged confession (“I just tried to kill Ariel, but she got away.”) are major anchors for the prosecution.
• Underlying themes include the escalation of domestic violence, the psychology of control and projection, and how marital disputes (affairs, money) may fuel fatal intentions.
• Jury’s decision may hinge on the credibility of Ariel’s testimony and the strength/weaknesses of the physical evidence.

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In Nancy’s words, the heart of this case lies in the question:
"Who do you believe? The woman forced to the cliff’s edge? Or the man who ran into the woods and called his son, confessing what he tried to do?"

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Transcript

[Nancy Grace]

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[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The wife of a beloved doctor faces death at a sheer cliff's edge on a romantic getaway planned by hubby. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. The wife of a beloved doctor faces death at a sheer cliff's edge. This was a planned, meticulously planned attack.

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

There is a struggle. She's grabbed by the hair. He pushes her face into the ground.

[Nancy Grace]

She's bleeding. The hikers that notified police saw lots of blood.

[911 Caller / Witness]

Hi. Someone's currently being attacked on the top of Polly Puka, where there's a man trying to kill her. She has blood all over her face. Where is this? At Poly Puka. The hike at the lookout. Okay, so Poly lookout. She's on the Poly Puka hike, and he's. He's currently attacking her. Okay, where, Where? How far in the hike are they? In the entrance, where we're probably like five minutes into the hike. Really quick.

[Nancy Grace]

Imagine moments before you go over the edge, you look down and then look back up at the guy attacking you, brutally beating you in the face. Now, this is a female being held down, beaten in the face, pushed toward a cliff edge. Who is the attacker? Not some thug. It's your own husband. And through your mind, you think about your children and you look up and think, is this the last face I'm ever going to see? That face. That face. What more do we learn from the 911 call? From desperate hikers that see the attack? Listen.

[911 Caller / Witness]

Okay, what are you seeing? We heard her screaming, help. Help. Help me. Help me. And then we saw a man over her. And then she crawled out with over her face, saying that he tried to kill her and he. Did she know him? Okay, where is he? Yeah, what is he wearing? He was in a T shirt. White. He had brownish sort of curly hair. Asian, Caucasian, Hawaiian. White guy? Yeah, white guy. And then what kind of shirt? T shirt, maybe? I'm sorry, Shorts. Pardon?

[Nancy Grace]

What kind of shorts?

[911 Caller / Witness]

I didn't See, he's wearing shorts, though.

[Nancy Grace]

What kind of shorts? What T shirt? The woman is getting her brain bashed out. I'm having a hard time with understanding what's happening right there. Straight out to Troy Slayton joining us, veteran criminal defense attorney out of the LA jurisdiction at Slayton Lawyers candidate for LA Superior Court judge. Troy, what is wrong with this 911 operator? Ariel is getting her brain beaten in and she's saying, white guy, Asian. What? What? What is wrong with her?

[Troy Slayton]

Nancy, 911 operators go through the same training for every type of call. They're trained to remain calm and gather as many facts as necessary and to keep the callers on the phone. So that way, when emergency services arrive, they know exactly who the good guy is, who the bad guy is, and if the person has fled the scene, who they're looking for when they put out an apb and they're looking throughout and canvassing the neighborhood.

[Nancy Grace]

Veteran defense attorney Troy Slayton just admitted to me that that's the bad guy. Let's see when he. How he's going to flip that around. I want to hear what more we have of the 911 call to see what we can learn.

[911 Caller / Witness]

Okay. And he walk away from her. We sort of know he was not. We were still. We walked away because we didn't want him to attack us. Okay, so he's still there. Yeah, they were both hiking and this. Now, when she's Caucasian, what is she wearing? It was hard to say. She was covered in blood and she was crawling. Okay. And then. So she's. Five minutes. The man is here. The man is. Oh, the girl is here. She's wearing. She's wearing a purple tank top.

[Nancy Grace]

Straight out to Dr. Bethany Marshall. I've got another problem. Dr. Bethany Marshall, and that's among so many. Renowned psychoanalyst, author of Deal Breaker. You can see her now on Peacock and Bravo, and you can find her at Dr.bethany marshall.com. Dr. Bethany, thank you for being with us. The woman is getting her brains bashed out. She's down. The husband is on top of her with a rock, and they say, we walked away. Don't get me wrong. I'm very happy. I'm happy that they call 911. A lot of people would have just kept going. But how do you walk away when somebody's getting their brain bashed in?

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

You know, Nancy, I have reviewed this scene in my mind so many times. You have a man with a rock, you have a woman underneath him, her face being bashed in, bloodied, and you have two females against this one man. And all of a sudden this scene is coming into focus, as in the scene of shock, of trauma, of horror that somebody is allegedly trying to kill somebody. And are you going to weigh into the fray? Are you going to call 91 1? I have a hard time believing these women were walking away, as in leaving the scene, but perhaps walking away thinking that if they call the police, there will be a force larger than them. Nancy, they must have gone through so many split second decisions. Do we attack him? Will he attack us? Will he push us over the cliff? Nancy, this was a very dangerous hiking trail. One very important note is that every hiker who went up that trail walked past a sign that said something to the effect of do not hike this trail. It is dangerous. So you have already people who are. You have people who are already in a dangerous situation. On the other hand, you have people who are brave and willing to face the elements. And it's going to be interesting in court to see how all of that plays into all these split second decisions they had to make.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, Dr. Bethany, I know you're right. And people respond differently when they're faced with an illogical or dangerous situation. My son and I are prone to run into it, which is probably not always the best idea. My daughter wants to run into it, but she freezes. She completely freezes, like she's made of stone. And that can be very dangerous. In this scenario, these hikers see Ariel literally getting her head bashed in. She's trying to crawl away. The husband is trying to push her over the cliff. Bill Hernandez joining us. Domestic violence, sex assault. Detective Napa Bill, thank you for being with us. How does it go from beating your wife emotionally or verbally abusing her to try to killing her? How do you make that leap? How do you take that extra step? Because typically homicide is not part of abuse. But what tips the scale?

[Bill Hernandez]

Just anger, just unmitigated rage about a situation that he's in or that they're in at that point in time. But to me, this seemed like a planned event. I mean, to plan that hike and at that, on that island, at that steep ridge, taking her up there, especially after the alleged affair and everything else going on in their lives. I think he planned that. And it was not just a happenstance argument that happened at the top of

[Nancy Grace]

that ridge at this juncture. To Alexis Toreschuk joining us, Crime Stories, investigative reporter. The case has progressed. This is going to a jury. What did the prosecution say in opening statement?

[Alexis Toreschuk]

They said that he Attempted to kill her. They said that he had a rock. He was bashing her head. And they also said that Ariel, the wife, that she had seen him have a syringe with something in it, that she was afraid. She was fighting for her life and trying to get away from the syringe because she felt like he was going to stab her with this ring and instruct her with something that could kill her.

[Nancy Grace]

Alexis. Syringe. A syringe prepared that he. This is like out of an Alex Berenson book, the Power Couple, right? So this isn't. Oh, I hope you're listening. Troy Slayton, if what the prosecution is saying is correct, this is not an angry moment where he grabs a rock, because it kind of sounds like spur of the moment, which could get it reduced down to voluntary manslaughter. But the fact that there was a syringe, a pre. Prepared syringe. Tell me about that.

[Alexis Toreschuk]

So he is an anesthesiologist, and she says that as he was attacking her, holding her on the ground, that she saw him with a syringe in his hand and that he was trying to stab her with it. And that was what she was. Another thing. She was fighting not only the rock, but she was afraid of the syringe, that he was going to stab her. And as an anesthesiologist, one would have to think that he would have access to quite a few drugs that would. Could be lethal.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, Troy Slayton, there goes your argument that this was a spur of a moment, angry outburst, and he just hit her in the head with a rock. No harm, no foul, according to a defense attorney. But the fact that a syringe, according to Ariel, was used. A prepared syringe, that changes everything, Slayton.

[Troy Slayton]

It would if a syringe was actually found at the scene. However, police did an exhaustive search of the entire area, and guess what? No RIN showed up. But if you knew that the person that you wanted to accuse of killing you was an anesthesiologist. My brother is an anesthesiologist, actually, in the Hawaii jurisdiction. I asked him about this particular doctor, and he said he had a good reputation. But that aside, if you wanted to make the story sound worse.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, you know what? Stop everything. Case closed. Because Troy Slayton knows somebody that says the doctor had a good reputation. Okay, well, he couldn't possibly have beaten his wife in the head with a rock as she tries to crawl away from the cliff's edge. Did you actually just say that he's got a good reputation because your Brother said so somebody told your brother what? In the checkout line at the Piggly Wiggly.

[911 Caller / Witness]

What?

[Nancy Grace]

You think I care about what somebody may have said to your brother? He's got a good reputation.

[Troy Slayton]

My brother's an anesthesiologist in the Hawaii jurisdiction. It's a very small community. They're not brimming with anesthesiologists on the small islands of Hawaii. But I can tell you that.

[Nancy Grace]

Why did he have to go hide out in Hawaii to get a job?

[Troy Slayton]

Well, it's paradise. Nancy, the witnesses who called 911 did not see what happened just before he was on top of his wife. And his defense attorneys are arguing that she attacked him.

[Nancy Grace]

I'm sorry. Never laugh when you're talking.

[Troy Slayton]

He felt himself being pushed off.

[Nancy Grace]

They didn't see what happened before he was on top of his wife beating her with a rock. Okay, I'm sorry. I'm trying to. Stop interrupting Troy Slayton. Take it from the top. I want to hear the whole thing.

[Troy Slayton]

Go ahead, Nancy. His defense attorneys are arguing. Look, I wasn't there. You weren't there. But his defense attorneys are arguing to this jury that he was actually the one that was attacked, that he was being pushed off the trail, that she had a rock in her hand. And so he picked up a rock and tried to defend himself, and that's when the witnesses came onto the scene. So he was just acting in self defense? That's his defense.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay. To renowned medical examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns. He is the chief medical examiner, Tarrant County. That's Fort Worth. Never a lack of business. He is a star of a hit podcast, Mayhem in the Morgue, and he is an esteemed lecturer at the Burnett School of medicine and at TCU. Dr. Kendall crowns. What were Ariel's injuries?

[Bill Hernandez]

From the reports, she had multiple lacerations of her face with blood streaming down her head. So when you pick up a rock. A rock causes blunt force injuries because it really doesn't necessarily have a sharp edge. And when you're striking into the skin, it splits the skin, creating a laceration. Now, the scalp skin is actually very vascular. It has a lot of blood vessels, so you'll see a lot of blood associated with that as well. And if he had kept pounding into the same area with the rock, he probably would have eventually crushed her skull and then damaged her brain.

[Nancy Grace]

When you say eventually would have crushed her skull, how much velocity does it take to crush a human skull? When you say crush, do you mean crack it or crush it? Like breaking an egg.

[Bill Hernandez]

So the skull itself depending on where you're striking it. Frontal bone is very thick. Occipital bone, which is the back of the head, is very thick as well, but the temporal parietal areas on the side of the head are thinner. So it all depends on where you're hitting the skull with the rock. But if you're hitting it over and over and over in the same spot, you'll eventually kind of start crushing that bo, wearing it down and then eventually breaking it. The exact velocity or the pounds of pressure needed to break the skull is actually several hundred pounds of pressure, so you have to hit in the proper area, basically side ahead and then with the physical strength of an arm and a rock, you might be able to break through it. But again, it isn't an easy process and you'd have to do it repetitively in the same area to eventually wear it down and break through it.

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[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories with Nancy

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Grace

[Nancy Grace]

well, Troy Slayton is a veteran defense attorney and he's he's got one thing right. This Hawaii doctor who bashed his wife head in with a rock claims it was self defense. But wait for it. Self defense over her alleged affair. Now wait, you can't have it both ways. Sidney Sumner joining me Crime Stories investigative reporter Sydney in self defense. Under the law that means the victim, which would be Ariel, attacks you first, then you respond with just enough force to subdue the attacker. The attacker in that scenario would be Ariel. But if he is enraged over her alleged sex affair, then suddenly it's not self defense anymore, it's revenge. So he cannot have his cake on his plate and eat it too. But it sounds like they're claiming both. Sidney Sumner.

[Alexis Toreschuk]

Yes.

[Sydney Sumner]

I don't think a jury in this situation is going to believe for one second that this husband was only acting in self defense. The story goes. The defense's story goes they were hiking this beautiful trail. And despite spending this time together over this weekend, trying to rekindle their relationship, Ariel brought up that she was going to have to see her affair partner, a married man, at work, when they returned from this trip. At that point, Koenig threatened to expose this affair to all of her family and friends, making Ariel angry. That's when Ariel tried to push him off the cliff, then hit him in the face with a rock. So Koenig says he responded by pushing Ariel to the ground and hitting her in the face with the rock twice. So again, I mean, twice versus once. These syringes have not been found, but neither has Ariel's belongings that she brought with her on the trail. So we have one trail and two very different stories. And these defense attorneys are trying to convince the jury that Koenig acted correctly.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, let me ask you this. Sidney Sumner, who was trying to crawl away from the cliff's edge when the hikers appeared?

[Troy Slayton]

Ariel.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, okay. So she was the one being dragged to the cliff's edge, not him. Is that correct?

[Sydney Sumner]

That's what the hiker saw, Nancy.

[Nancy Grace]

And also Sidney Sumner. What were his injuries?

[Sydney Sumner]

We saw photos in court of some bruising on the left side of Dr. Koenig's face.

[Nancy Grace]

Did he get admitted to the hospital?

[Sydney Sumner]

No.

[Nancy Grace]

Did she get admitted in the hospital?

[Sydney Sumner]

Of course she did. Ariel spent time in the hospital? Yes.

[Nancy Grace]

Do you know any more about her injuries?

[Sydney Sumner]

I know the defense is arguing that Conan clearly didn't intend to kill her because she just had this headlock that bled a lot. It looked really bad. But the mom didn't experience any kind of brain injury. She did not have a concussion. There was no further injury.

[Nancy Grace]

And that's what the defense is saying?

[Sydney Sumner]

Correct.

[Nancy Grace]

Sydney, have you ever seen the wizard of Oz or read it?

[Sydney Sumner]

Yes, ma'. Am.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay. Do you recall when the wizard, such as he is, said, don't look behind the curtain. Look up there at the man, the image. Look there. Don't look here. So they're saying, don't look at all the blood streaming down her face. Don't look at her skull being cracked. Don't look at any of that. Look at what I'm telling you. And I'm telling you she did not suffer serious injury. Is that what's happening?

[Sydney Sumner]

Exactly what's happening.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay. And one last question to Alexis Toreschuk. Joining us, crime Stories investigative reporter, isn't it true that Dr. Koenig fled the scene and hid out in the woods a la Eric Rudolph, the Olympic bomber, until idiot then came out of the woods and got busted by the cops? Isn't that true?

[Alexis Toreschuk]

Yes, that is true. 100%. He because these two women came upon them and they found him on top of his wife hitting them. These two women. He wasn't stopping. She was screaming. Screaming. He wasn't stopping. And if it wasn't for these two hikers who heard her scream and they came up, but they said they were so afraid of him, he looked so scary that they backed off and they obviously very quickly called 911. But they were afraid of him. They said that he was very scary looking, very intimidating. He had a dark, cold look in his eyes. And they were afraid for their own safety, backed off. That's after. That's when he was able to run away for quite a while.

[Nancy Grace]

Alexis Rushuk, I'm glad you told me that because I was wondering, how can you leave when you see a woman getting killed? Just walk away. I didn't understand that. But they were afraid for their own lives and frankly, I don't blame them. Straight back to Troy Slayton. Troy is a veteran trial lawyer and you're about to learn why he wins so many cases. I predict he's not going to answer the question I'm going to ask him. But Troy Slayton, isn't it true that under the law, the force you use in self defense is extremely relevant to using the defense of self defense? In other words, if I come slap you, you cannot then pull out an Uzi and shoot me. Do you agree with that?

[Troy Slayton]

I agree with that. If you're going to use deadly force, you have to believe that you were in imminent danger for your life. So you had to have a reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm or. Or death.

[911 Caller / Witness]

Hi. Someone's currently being attacked on the top of Polytuka where there's a man trying to kill her. She has blood all over her face. Where is this? At Polypooka, the hike at the lookout. Okay, so Polly, look out. She's on the Polypooka hike. And he's he's currently attacking her. Okay, where. Where. How far is the hike? Or is it in the entrance where we're probably like five minutes into the hike? Really quick. Okay. What are you seeing? We heard her screaming, help. Help. Help me. Help me. And then we saw a man over her, and then she crawled out with blood over her face, saying that he's trying to kill her. And he's. Did she know him? I don't know.

[Nancy Grace]

Can you imagine the terror that must have coursed through her body looking down at that great height on a very narrow trail? After a brutal beating with a rock

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

to her skull, she fought back. She refused to be pushed off this cliff.

[Alexis Toreschuk]

And that's why people cannot believe that this happened.

[Bethenny Frankel]

Gerhard Koenig takes off into the woods covered in blood from the brutal attack on his wife. Koenig FaceTimes his adult son, Emil, who is shocked and concerned from his father's appearance. Koenig tries to explain what happened, but stops mid sentence and says, I just tried to kill Ari, but she got away. Koenig also tells Emil he wants to jump off the cliffs and kill himself.

[Nancy Grace]

Straight out to Alexis Toreschuk. Joining us, Crime Stories investigative reporter Alexis Did I just hear he fled into the woods and called his son and said, I just tried to kill Ariel. Please tell me that very slowly. Are you listening, Slayton?

[Alexis Toreschuk]

It's very true. He fled, he called his son, and he literally said, I just tried to kill Mommy. He was away for quite a while. These women that had found them, they were actually, as you heard them say, they were like, oh, my gosh, he's coming this way. They were very scared. But he went into the woods, and this is a tropical jungle, as Troy and his brother know. This isn't a wooded area like the south or the east coast, you know, it's this beautiful, luscious tropical area. And he fled into there and hid out for quite a while, but he still had cell service, and he was able to make this call from there.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, let me understand, Alexis. Is it true or has it come out yet that he positioned his wife at the cliff's edge to do a selfie?

[Alexis Toreschuk]

I believe that that is what has been been alleged, but I don't believe that has come out in the trial yet. But yes, that is what it is. And that then he attacked her there? That is part of the prosecution's there, but I'm not sure that that has been presented in court yet.

[Nancy Grace]

Has it? Sydney Sumner, has that come out yet? I would think that the prosecution would say that in opening statements because it's straight out of a lifetime scare the chick movie where the husband or lover, love interest positions the woman at the very cliff's edge. Oh, just a little further, a little further so we can get a really good shot of us together. And then bam, she's over the edge. What do we know? Did that come out in opening, Sid?

[Sydney Sumner]

Yes, this did come out in opening statements, Nancy. And we even saw body cam from a responding officer that laid this scene for us. So we know that Ariel took a photo in a tree. We saw that big tree branch where she sat up there. They took a photo and then her husband asked her to come to the cliff's edge and take another picture picture with him. And Ariel was very uncomfortable with this. She was already feeling scared at some points. She scooted herself down the trail when officers came to help her. So she was already terrified being on this trail, this steep cliff's edge. And she argued with him. She said, I'm not comfortable with that. And that's when they say her husband said I'm sick of your and pushed her towards the edge of the cliff.

[Nancy Grace]

Wasn't it enough? I mean, Dr. Bethany Marshall, again, this is straight out of a lifetime scary movie that he got her to take pictures up in a tree. If my husband said, get up in the tree, I'm going to take a picture, I'm going to. You get up in the tree, I'll take your picture. Get up in a tree. Anyway, she did it. And that maneuvering her closer and closer to the edge, I mean that sets off all sorts of red bells of alarm to me.

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

The fact is, if you're in a good, loving, safe relationship with a husband, first of all, he's not going to put you in a dangerous situation on a dangerous trail. He's not going to put you at the edge of a cliff. But women.

[Nancy Grace]

Dr. Bethany, Dr. Bethany, put her up, please. Dr. Bethany, as you know, David and I took our son John David to tour Notre Dame.

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

Yes.

[Nancy Grace]

We practically had a knock down dragon on the escalator at the airport because he, I was doing things and he was right. Let's just start with. I know he was right. I was trying to do something. I was trying to take a picture of John David going down the escalator because to put in my scrapbook after the Notre Dame tour and he had a fit behind me, as I like to say, in front of God and everybody to hold on to the escalator, which of course is covered with germs. But that said Much less get me to pose at the edge of a cliff. He nutted up because I didn't have my hand on the rail at the escalator.

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

Nancy he wanted you to.

[Nancy Grace]

It would be totally out of character for a loving husband to get you closer and closer and closer to the

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

edge of a cliff, you know. Nancy. Furthermore, to put you on a dangerous hiking trail to let me see the other signs of DV or domestic violence. The fact that he believes she's having an affair and then he calls every single relative to tell on her. This is such a part of a toxic relationship. To try to discredit the wife in front of everybody, ruin her reputation, put messages out online. I'm not sure if he did that, but. But that's one thing. According to court testimony, he also screamed because they had to have a 2 and a 4 year old. Only one of us is going to parent them. So it says already in his mind that he's allegedly going to push her over that cliff. Nancy Women who are DV victims, they predict their imp death to other people. We know that they often say or they'll write notes or letters if I'm discovered dead, he did it. The fact that she refused to go to the edge of the cliff tells me that she already knew that she was at risk of homicide in this marriage. And if divorce was even being talked about. Nancy we also know women are at the greatest risk of violence and death when they are about to leave a relationship. According to some reports, he was actually stalking her in. In the relationship. He was going online, looking at her private financial affairs. This was the second marriage for both of them. He was even looking up what the cost of his last divorce was. This came out in testimony and in opening statements. That tells me that he was already thinking, do I want to divorce her or do I want to kill her? Divorce. Kill. Well, the divorce is going to cost a lot more. I've already been through it. I don't want to do it again. Nancy. He also accused her of spending $123,000 of their joint funds. But what has also come out is that she was paying the mortgage payment, the son's tuition, paying off marital debt. So right there, even in court, he's trying to discredit her, trying to say she has an affair. This is like Nicole Brown Simpson who's hanging out with Ron Goldman because she needs a friend, because her husband no longer her friend. All of a sudden the friend is being seen as an unfair person, even though they're not. So there's so much more, I could say, but the toxicity of the relationship is shock.

[Nancy Grace]

Dr. Bethany Marshall. Say it. Go ahead. If there's more to say, I want to hear it.

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

Well, the more to say also is that he was on public forums looking up affairs like what it means when somebody's having an affair. So the question that entered my mind, perpetrators of domestic violence usually have pathological jealousy. They always believe that the wife is having an affair. Always. So were the forums because he was already preparing a defense if he was going to kill her? Or was the forum because he was consumed with jealousy? And Nancy, he looked at these sites right around Christmas and New Year's, the time that families should be enjoying each other and celebrating. He's just consumed with the idea she's having an affair. And in court, in opening statements, statements, her attorney said there might be some flirty texts. There's nothing salacious. There's nothing sexual. I think he was already heading off the defense when he said flirty, because domestic violence perpetrators always think their wives are flirting with other people, even when they are not.

[Nancy Grace]

Bill Hernandez is joining us. He is a domestic violence expert, a detective in Napa's PD. Bill Hernandez, you heard everything Dr. Bethany said, agree or disagree?

[Bill Hernandez]

Oh, I absolutely agree. I mean, there's a bunch of red flags that Ariel has for potential homicide. The accusation of a received affair, them getting ready to leave each other, them having marital problems, those are all big red flags. And this was obviously maybe even an issue of him projecting which often suspects in domestic violence, do they accuse others of doing exactly what they're doing themselves?

[Nancy Grace]

You mean, for instance, the husband would say, you're sleeping around when he's sleeping around?

[Bill Hernandez]

Yes, they do that quite often.

[Nancy Grace]

Why, Bethany?

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

Or you've drained our bank account when really they're draining the bank account. The reason why, Nancy, is that these men, they want to control the wives. They see the wives as objects who should not have any dependence or autonomy. And a part of the control is I get to do what I want to do, but you can't do what you want to do. And the fact that he accuses her of draining their accounts tells me that she wasn't even in charge of the finances, which is a part of the abuse process, that if the wife even tries to touch mutual funds for any reason, she's accused of dissipating marital funds. And this is another projection. I think. I think what's going to come out is probably perhaps he was having an affairs. Perhaps he was dissipating marital funds. He had I think allegedly complete control. But Nancy, it's a projection. You're cheating, when in fact I'm cheating. But it's much more nefarious and deep. It's that if you enjoy anybody, if somebody sees your beauty, my control over you might slip. But I don't care at all if I have affairs because I lack empathy towards you and you're just an object. So I'm going to go out. In fact, that horrible feeling of jealousy I have, I'm going to reverse it into you by having sex with other women. And then you're going to see how it feels. But it's all in their head, Nancy. It's all made up.

[Nancy Grace]

To Troy Slayton joining us, veteran defense attorney who has won a lot of cases. Troy, just take off your defense hat. Just a moment. I'm taking off my prosecution hat. You know the saying the love of money is the root of all evil? It's not money is the root of all evil. It's the love of money is the root of all evil. How many cases do you see where people fight and kill over money?

[Troy Slayton]

It happens every single day, Nancy. And it is one of the causes of a lot of disagreements among married people and, and even people that aren't married. Money tends to be the cause of disagreements all over the world.

[911 Caller / Witness]

Okay, what are you seeing? We heard her screaming help, help. Help me, help me. And then we saw a man over her and then she crawled out with over her face saying that he tried to kill her. Did she know him? I don't know.

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[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

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[Nancy Grace]

Fighting off a syringe attack, being bludgeoned in the face and head with a rock, Looking at death on the edge of that cliff, they appear to be a perfect couple. What is it about a romantic getaway that inspires murder? Straight out to Alexis Toreschuk, Crime Stories investigative reporter on the Kahunig case from the very beginning. Alexis, thanks for being with Us tonight. Is it true that Koenig, the husband, Koenig, broke down. Broke down in court when his Lawyer described a FaceTime call afterwards that he, Koenig, had with his son. Koenig said he wanted to commit suicide, and he was calling to say goodbye and tell him he was sorry, that he wished he had been a better man. I wish it, too. Prosecutors are calling the conversation a confession because he also said at the time, I'm not going to make it back. I tried to kill Ariel, but she got away. Is the son the one he said that to?

[Alexis Toreschuk]

Yes, it's his son from another marriage. He has two young children. They're two and four with Ariel. This is a son from. He's. He's older and he facetimed him and did this. And the thing was, he absolutely had such a reaction in court. He started crying. He's wiping tears away. He's like leaned over and just crying at his own phone call that he had with his son. Not really with other things, but this really hit him. This is when he just starts boohooing as the details of the call.

[Nancy Grace]

Really, Troy, how often do you have to work with your client? Do you have to go and pinch them to get them to start crying in court? Really? He starts in court. He starts crying when he's talking about

[Troy Slayton]

his suicide attempt, Nancy, he's being accused of doing something that if you believe his defense attorneys and look again, we weren't there then this would be the most traumatic thing that could possibly happen.

[Nancy Grace]

Every time I ask you a question, you remind me, I wasn't there. Of course we weren't there.

[Troy Slayton]

Because that's the whole purpose, is to find the truth. A trial is a search for the truth, and we weren't there. The hikers who came upon him and called 91 1, they weren't there at the beginning. Nobody knows except those two people. And so that's what, hopefully these people.

[Nancy Grace]

When I ask you a tough question, you say you weren't there. Okay, can we just stipulate I wasn't there? Okay, I admit I wasn't there. What I asked you is why Koenigse starts when they're talking about his call to his son where he was contemplating suicide that made him start crying, not bashing his wife's skull in. He starts crying when, if you're so fragile, him and what he's been through. Fragile skull was fragile.

[Troy Slayton]

If he was in such a fragile emotional state, if he believed his wife was, number one, potentially having an affair, number two, trying to Kill him.

[Nancy Grace]

That didn't make him cry, that he's

[Troy Slayton]

calling his son, talking about wanting to just end his whole life. Yeah. And then having to relive that moment. Psychological trauma in that moment, of course you're gonna start crying. Any normal person with normal emotions would cry in that moment when you think that your entire world is caving in and collapsing.

[Nancy Grace]

You know what I say to that? Troy Slayton, he's crying, all right? He's crying because he's sorry. He's not sorry he did it. He's sorry he got caught. I mean, Dr. Bethany Marshall, you're the shrink. You're the doctor. But how telling is it that he turns on the waterworks in court when they're talking about his mental suffering, that he wanted to end it all? Now, you would probably call that histrionic. That's one of your words. I would call it him being a drama queen. That's what I would call it. And in front of the jury, blubbering and snotting like that.

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

You know, Nancy, I saw that footage. I did. I watched him break down in court. It seemed very manufactured, dramatic, and yes, histrionic, because histrionics is really emotions that appear deep in nature, but they're not deep at all. They're just designed to get attention. And Nancy, can you imagine if he had succeeded in killing his wife and he was left to parent those two sons and he treated the two and four year old like he treated the 19 year old he calls his own son, says, I'm now going to kill myself. He's covered in blood. This means he's using, he's manipulating and exploiting his 19 year old for his own purposes. He's trying to get empathy from his own son. This is just one more tell in a larger situation of somebody who's extremely self, self possessed just only before himself. Selfish. Thank you. Someone who is extremely self absorbed and really doesn't care about his 19 year old son nor anybody else.

[Nancy Grace]

What a sharp dichotomy. Where we are today and where it all started. Listen.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Gerhard Koenig, an anesthesiologist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical center, falls head over heels for nuclear power plant project engineer ARIEL. Despite their 10 year age gap, Gerhard and Ariel are married in 2018, have their first baby boy in 2020, and another two years later, in 2023, the couple decides to follow one of Gerhardt's dreams and move from Pennsylvania to Maui, Hawaii. Gerhardt becomes a partner at the anesthesia medical group and frequently works at Maui Memorial Medical center while Ariel retains her job at TerraPower.

[Nancy Grace]

It starts off so beautifully and then the children come along. But I want you to hear how this accusation of infidelity played out.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

The Koenigs have been in couples therapy for at least three months after Gerhard Koenig accuses Ariel of infidelity in December. Ariel denies his accusations and doesn't understand where they're coming from.

[Troy Slayton]

She wants her husband's trust back.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

But it seems Gerhardt is only becoming more jealous, controlling and at times abusive.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, so that goes back to what Bill Hernandez was telling us, who is an expert in domestic violence and sex assault. A detective in Napa's PD in California about how while you may be having an affair, you blame your mate of having the affair. Here he is blaming her. Dr. Bethany, she denies it and they commit, she commits to couples therapy. They've been it for three months so she can prove her innocence. That's a pretty honorable burden to always having to be proving yourself that you're worthy of your husband.

[Cindy Crawford / Meaningful Beauty Advertiser]

Well, that's what's being wrong reported is that she's trying to earn back his trust. That doesn't fit any pattern I see as a couple's therapist that the wife is trying to earn back the trust. Not, not somebody who's a nuclear engineer, successful, beautiful, big life, surrounded by family and friends. This doesn't sound right. What's more likely in the treatment is that she brought him in because she could no longer bear all the accusations and that their home life was spinning out of control. And if he was trying to discredit her to her family and friends, he was, was probably fighting in front of the two and four years year olds. I would imagine that there were concerns in her mind as a mother about what was happening in that household. I would guess she was losing control in multiple areas. She was probably losing privacy. He perhaps was breaking into her phone. I think that's been reported somewhere, monitoring her whereabouts. According to one, one report, he was actually stalking and surveilling her. And Nancy, 76% of all stalking happens during a marriage. While two people are married. We think of it as happening. You know, you, you go out on a date with somebody, you don't want to date them again and all of a sudden they become preoccupied and that sets start, they start stalking you. That's not really how it goes down. You get married to somebody, you fall in love and you realize that, that beneath the surface is somebody who's pathologically jealous. So they become preoccupied with you. And in fact they might want to kill you because if you're dead, they don't have to live with their own torturous fantasies anymore. And then that becomes a strong motivator towards homicide.

[Nancy Grace]

So for her 36th birthday, he, the husband as Troy Slayton, is quick to remind us who has a great reputation, whisks Ariel away to celebrate. He secretly plans the romantic vacation. And he even has family members hire nannies to stay with their two little children while they're away. And then this, the morning of Ariel's

[Bethenny Frankel]

actual birthday, the couple decides to hike the Palipuka Trail. The popular trail up the ridge of the Kaolau Mountains leads to the Palipuca, which literally translates to cliff hole. A gorgeous rock formation framing the east side of Oahu. Despite the amazing views, the cliff hugging trail is thin and steep, with many choosing to not go all the way to the top. Ariel wants to brave it, but when she sees the last uphill stretch, she chooses to stay where she is, waiting for Gerhardt as he completes it.

[Nancy Grace]

I hiked a lot of trails before I had the twins. And I've got to tell you. Can I see that one more time, please? Control room. That is a treacherous trail right there. Doesn't look like it right there, but the angle. They're going up, up, up. And then the trail turns into roots, A lot of roots going upward. Hold it. Just keep going, keep going right there. It starts to get really tricky. And the further up you go, the more treacherous the footing becomes. That is where he led her. And isn't it true, Alexis Torres Chuck, that there are signs after signs after signs that say, don't go on this trail again. It's like wizard of Oz. Turn back, don't come here.

[Alexis Toreschuk]

Yes, it's a very, very. It's super steep and it, you can see it in this, in this video, which is the police officer walking the trail. And he says during court, he says, you know, I'm not just hiking this trail because it's hard. You see him, you know, so he says, I'm looking for all the evidence around this trail. So they. There, it's super steep. There are lots of signs, everybody. But this isn't just a, you know, walk on the path and overlook the ocean. This, this is a serious thing. And that's. And there's her sweater that they found. There's one of the rocks. They found a lot of evidence there because he fled, she got help and the police were able to go and look at the scene immediately after it happened.

[Nancy Grace]

Is it true what Troy Slayton said that the syringe was never found. Alexis, that is true.

[Alexis Toreschuk]

It has never been found. She alleges that he had one, that he tried to stab her with it. I think she said maybe it got knocked away. He tried again, but he did leave the site. He left for quite a while. He was gone. And several of her things are missing as well. So not just the syringe that she says is there, but several of her personal items are missing as well.

[Nancy Grace]

Troy Slyton, you've got your toe in the door right there. Because her story includes him pulling a syringe. The fact that the syringe was never found, the defense can now say, not that I believe it, that all of her story is fantastical and made up just because he likely threw the syringe. It probably went over the cliff. They'll never find it. But the truth is, you get one juror to believe, if she's made up part of her story, then they can discount all of her testimony.

[Knix Advertiser]

That is the law.

[Nancy Grace]

If even one part of a witness's story, their credibility is successfully attacked, the jury, under the law, is allowed to discount the testimony in its entirety.

[Troy Slayton]

You almost cited the jury instruction. Exactly correct, Nancy. And that's exactly what the judge will tell, and that's the jurors at the end of this case. And that's exactly what the defense attorneys will harp on and dial in on. If you find that a witness has not been truthful in any part of their testimony, you can disregard every single thing that they said. And that's exactly what his defense attorneys are going to do. They're going to blow it up up on the big screen. They're going to blow up every word of that jury instruction. On cross examination, the defense attorneys are going to ask the police officer, did you conduct a full, thorough and complete investigation? Did you search the entire area carefully in order to corroborate your victim's story? And the cop then is in a catch 22. Either he did complete a thorough investigation and no such syringe existed, or he didn't complete a thorough investigation, which means that his testimony is suspect.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, Troy Slayton, there's more than just two alternatives. There's another alternative. Well, there are many, but I could easily defeat that. The syringe went over the cliffside. And even though the police conducted a thorough and sifting search, they couldn't find it because it is forever lost. And I'd like to point out a recent development in court. After the trip, Ariel found Propofol, the Michael Jackson sedative propofol in their home and she saved it and handed it over. And there's a big argument about whether that propofol will be allowed in evidence, which gives me a clue as to what was in that syringe. I am not giving the defendant a gold star for getting rid of the syringe. That's not happening. Not today. Troy Slayton and in response to your argument, I would just keep telling the jury she's the one that went in the hospital. He ran into the woods. Now you decide who is at fault. We wait as justice unfolds and we remember an American hero. Captain Curtis Angst, U.S. air Force, just 30 years old, killed in Iraq, leaving behind a wife, now widow Mary. American hero Captain Curtis Angst Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye friend.

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[Nancy Grace]

So good. Your bill, ladies. I got it. No, I got it. Seriously, I insist.

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[Troy Slayton]

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[Nancy Grace]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors, sister.

[Bethenny Frankel]

Shoot.

[Sydney Sumner]

No.

[Troy Slayton]

The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Visit Wells Fargo.comActiveCash terms apply.

[Nancy Grace]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.