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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. We are in a verdict watch here at Crime Stories. That's right. The jealous Dr. Gerhard Koenig actually puts up a defense to beating his wife's head in with a rock. Wait for it. She grabbed me by the balls. That's his defense? Yes, that's his defense. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories.
Chapter 2: What is the background of Dr. Gerhardt Konig's attempted murder trial?
I want to thank you for being with us. The wife of a beloved doctor faces death at a sheer cliff's edge on a romantic getaway planned by... I've never heard that defense before, except maybe as a joke. A jealous doctor, overwhelmed because his wife sent flirty texts, and that was it. Nothing more was proven in court. There he is. There they are. Guys, she's a nuclear engineer.
She does not need a man telling her what to do. This guy, Dr. Gearheart Koenig, actually takes a stand and tells a jury with a straight face. Basically, as I was trying to push her off the cliff, she grabbed me by the balls, so I bashed her head in with a rock. Straight after Susan Hendricks joining us, investigative reporter
Susan Hendricks, also author of the bestseller, Down the Hill, My Descent into the Double Murders in Delphi. Susan, really? I've tried a lot of cases. You've covered a lot of cases. Have you ever heard, she grabbed me by the balls as the defense? Because I have not. This is new.
I have not, and I have not seen someone nervy enough, you could say, Nancy, to take the stand in his own defense and describe this to jurors thinking he's getting away with it.
I want to go through. Oh, this is excruciating. There you see wife, Arielle. She can barely walk. Look at the blood gushing down her face. Her skull actually bashed in by husband, Dr. Gerhard Koenig. Straight out to Crime Stories, investigative reporter Sydney Silvani. Sydney, wait, wait, wait. Now, let me understand. He's jealous over what?
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Chapter 3: What events led to the alleged attempted murder during the hike?
What he called an emotional affair. Ariel Koenig had some flirty text messages back and forth with a coworker. They discussed music they enjoyed. They had lengthy conversations back and forth over text. And for this couple, that was described as an emotional affair. They started couples therapy because of Ariel's behavior. And Koenig wanted complete access
to all of her communications at any time.
Well, he sounds like a complete wackadoodle. Did I understand this? Josh Colesroo, joining us, veteran criminal defense attorney, former U.S. attorney, founder of Colesroo Law Offices. Let me understand something. Since when did talking about music equal an emotional affair or an affair? Music really matters? What? He talked about the symphony? And she gets bashed in the head with a rock?
Well, you're right about one thing, Nancy, and that is this case will come down to credibility. The victim's credibility versus the defendant's credibility. And yes, she had an emotional affair by her own admission. And the husband wanted to know what was going on. But those aren't the only things that the jury is going to be looking at when determining whether or not she's credible.
uh for example you know let's look at what what her statements were during and around the time that this happened you know her statements became more severe more dramatic and more incriminating i mean do you remember that the medical testimony in this case said There were only two to three impacts on her head from the lava rock, but she said... Only two or three impact blows to the skull?
How many do you want, Colesrud?
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Chapter 4: How did the defense justify Dr. Konig's actions?
Well, there was no traumatic brain injury. There was no concussion. And she still tried to convince... her primary care doctor to say that there was after this happened, probably knowing that it didn't happen because she had already been to the Queen's Hospital, where that was never described in the diagnosis.
Now, whenever you get hit in the head, it looks horrible because you have so many blood vessels where the skin is. and that the tissue gets torn and it looks horrible, but the pictures look much, much worse than the actual injury. And let's not forget about the syringe. You remember that where she said that he tried to stab her with a clear barrel, blue plunger hold still, but you know what?
There was no syringe found, no vial, no cap, no bag, not by the hikers, not by the police, not by the crime scene. It only exists in her account. And then she says she bit and grabbed his testicles. I mean, there's no bite marks. There's no forensic evidence. There's no corroboration whatsoever. And don't forget her motive, right?
She moved $123,000 from the joint account into her account right after this happened. And there was a life insurance policy on her husband that she was going to have a financial windfall if he was killed. So there is an alternative story that the prosecution has been unable to prove the entire case.
Coles Road, are you claiming that there's no corroboration to her story? Is that what you're saying?
I'm saying that her story has inconsistencies and holes. that the defense has blown wide open. Build a case on circumstantial evidence. Really?
Well, to me, it sounds like you're saying there's no corroboration. I heard you out. So now I want you to hear out the eyewitness to attempted murder on Ariel Koenig.
Hi. Someone's currently being attacked on the top of Pali Puka. Where? There's a man trying to kill her. She has blood all over her face. Where is his dad? Pali Puka, the hike at the lookout. Okay, so Polly, look out. She's on the Polly Pooka hike, and he's currently attacking her. Okay, where, how far is the hike? Are they in the entrance?
We're probably like five minutes into the hike, really quick. Okay, what do you see? We heard her screaming, help, help, help me, help me, and then we saw a man over her, and then she crawled out over her face saying that he's trying to kill her. Did she know him? I don't know.
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Chapter 5: What evidence was presented regarding Arielle's injuries?
So you have to look at the circumstantial evidence to see who it corroborates and who it doesn't and see where the chips lie. And that's how the jury is going to decide this case.
Colesrood, isn't it true that Dr. Gerhard Koenig had the idea to take Ariel up that dangerous trail? Isn't that true?
He's trying to win back his marriage. He knows that his wife is- Isn't that true? She's in love with another man and he's trying to win his wife back.
You won't answer because you don't like the answer. The answer is this whole thing was orchestrated by him. Are you married, Josh Colesrood? Are you?
Yes, ma'am. Happily.
What did you do for your last anniversary? if anything.
I took my wife on a nice trip to Cancun, to the beach, and made her feel like a queen.
I'm sure you did. Did you suggest to her that she walk up a treacherous trail that has not one, not two, but multiple signs saying, go away.
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Chapter 6: What role did jealousy play in the case against Dr. Konig?
Too dangerous for foot traffic. Don't come in here. She didn't want to go, but he insisted. Did you take a dangerous hike with your wife on your anniversary? That is a yes, no, Colesrood.
I did the same thing as the doctor here, which is trying to win my wife's heart, even though I already have it. But I want to do something romantic.
Well, if you keep lying, you're going to have to work a lot harder at it. Did you go on a hike up a dangerous trail? The answer I know is no. Be responsive.
Both. The doctor and I wanted to do something romantic with our wives, and we both attempted to do that.
The fact that- If I had you on the stand, I would have you held in contempt right now. Sadly, all I can do is cut your mic. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Straight out to special guest joining us, you know him well, John Buehler, who shot to fame proving the Scott Peterson double murder case, former detective for Modesto PD, lead detective on the Peterson case.
Why is it so many people don't want to admit the truth? When you put a doctor in front of a jury, they very often just fall in love because we're raised to trust doctors, believe doctors, look up to doctors, think they know more than we do. That is not necessarily true. You know, this is Gerhard Koenig's. Second marriage, the first marriage was to a sex worker. I'm not judging.
I'm not the church lady. I don't care what he does in his spare time. But I can't help but make the observation he wants women on a transactional basis. He wants a woman that he can force to behave a certain way. I think this is way over the line for some flirty text messages about the freaking symphony. That is not an emotional affair. That's BS, Bueller.
Well, I got to go along with you on that. I do like Josh's take, and he makes a valiant attempt to try and convince me, but I got to say that the fact that the doctor went and hid in the woods, that he resisted arrest, that he fled from the cops, that he made the call to his son. His son was convincing on the stand. He had a motive with receiving...
insurance policy or uh i think she had 250 000 that went to him if she went belly up things like this that that you know screams circumstantial evidence he takes her on a hike he researches up dangerous hiking areas and she's on the edge there i have i have a much harder time to believe that she would bash him
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Chapter 7: How did eyewitness accounts impact the trial?
Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast. guaranteed human.