Latest news with #KHNL
NBC News
28-03-2025
- NBC News
'He's trying to kill me': Wife of Hawaii doctor says she screamed to hikers for help amid vicious rock-beating
The doctor accused of trying to kill his wife while hiking in Hawaii only stopped his rock-beating, syringe-wielding attack when fellow hikers happened on to the scene, according to court documents revealed on Thursday. Dr. Gerhardt Konig, a 46-year-old Maui anesthesiologist, was with his wife on Pali Puka Trail in Honolulu on Monday when he asked her to snap of photo of them, according to court documents supporting his arrest. "She mentioned that while on the trail, Gerhardt was standing close to the edge and asked her to take a selfie with him,' said a Honolulu police declaration. The suspect's wife, Arielle Konig, said she was uncomfortable being so close to the edge before walking away, according to the court affidavit. Dr. Konig yelled at her to return and she refused, prompting Dr. Konig to push the victim into bushes, she told police. That's when Dr. Konig picked up a rock and struck her on the head about 10 times 'while also grabbing the back of her hair and smashing her face into the ground,' according to the document. The wife reported to police that Konig took "out two syringes from his bag and attempt to use them on her, but she was able to get them away from him,' the police declaration said. The crazed attack only subsided as other hikers came upon the scene. ''He's trying to kill me. He's hitting me in the head with a rock,' " Arielle Konig, 36, told the first hiker to approach, NBC affiliate KHNL reported, citing the court document. Dr. Konig fled and was caught several hours after a brief foot chase, officials said. A judge set Gerhardt Konig's bail at $5 million and a preliminary hearing in the attempted murder charge was scheduled for Monday.
CNN
22-02-2025
- CNN
Hawaii man freed after 30 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit
Gordon Cordeiro, who spent more than half his life in prison for a murder he denied committing, walked out of a Maui correctional center on what he called 'Freedom Friday' thanks to new DNA evidence. Hours after a judge ruled that the outcome of another potential murder trial against him would likely be altered by the new evidence, Cordeiro was met with cheers, hugs and Hawaiian lei greetings when he emerged from the correctional facility. 'I thank all these people,' he said, referring to relatives, friends and members of his legal team who greeted him outside, according to video from CNN affiliate KHNL. 'These are the people that got me out. Without them, I wouldn't have made it.' Cordeiro, now 51, was in his 20s when he was convicted of the 1994 murder of Timothy Blaisdell during a drug deal robbery in Maui, according to the Hawaii Innocence Project, which took up his case and argued that new evidence – including DNA test results – showed he was not at the crime scene at the time of the murder. Project lawyers also pointed to what they said was false testimony against him and misconduct by prosecutors. On Friday, Circuit Court Judge Kirstin Hamman in Maui vacated Cordeiro's murder and robbery convictions and his sentence of life without parole, according to KHNL and The Associated Press. Cordeiro, sitting in court in a prison jumpsuit, wiped away tears as the ruling was delivered. His father, Dennis Cordeiro, fighting back tears, told KHNL he felt relief, joy and happiness 'that my son can finally do some family celebrations before I leave this world.' Cordeiro's first trial ended in a hung jury, with a single juror voting to convict, according to the Innocence Project. At a second trial, with the testimony of jailhouse informants looking to lessen their own sentences, prosecutors secured a conviction, Cordeiro's legal team said. 'This is a case that when you hear the facts of the case, you know somewhere deep in your heart there's been some fundamental unfairness going on,' Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, told reporters after Friday's ruling. The Innocence Project said on its website that 'additional DNA testing on multiple items from the crime scene' was conducted, and that new evidence showed Cordeiro was 'not present anywhere at the crime scene.' It also obtained and compared DNA samples from potential suspects to DNA at the scene, the site said. In a court document filed last May in support of the petition to vacate the judgment, attorneys wrote that post-conviction DNA tests 'on multiple key pieces of physical evidence have all excluded Cordeiro as the source of the DNA on Blaisdell's body and other critical crime scene evidence.' The court filing said modern DNA tests showed 'there was an unknown person or persons who went into Blaisdell's pant pockets after he was murdered.' Maui prosecutors could still refile charges against Cordeiro. Robert Rost, a deputy prosecuting attorney, told KHNL that while DNA evidence could be compelling in a decades-old cold case, he doesn't believe Cordeiro's lawyers 'met the standard to have this conviction set aside.' Gina Gormley, an attorney for Cordeiro, said: 'If they really sat down and took the time to look at evidence that came out, they should not re-try this case.' In a court filing, the Hawaii Innocence Project accused the state of relying on 'incentivized jailhouse informants and their fabricated evidence and testimony' about murder-for-hire plots – claims the judge rejected, according to The Associated Press. Cordeiro's lawyers maintain that on the day of the crime, he was building a shelving unit in the garage at his parents' house. The alibi, they said, was backed up by friends and others who saw him in the garage as well as receipts from where he purchased the shelving supplies. Cordeiro's legal team believes that another suspect, who the AP reported died in 2020, set up the victim to be robbed during a marijuana deal that ended in a fatal shooting.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
A man in Hawaii argued he spent 30 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. New DNA evidence helped free him
Gordon Cordeiro, who spent more than half his life in prison for a murder he denied committing, walked out of a Maui correctional center on what he called 'Freedom Friday' thanks to new DNA evidence. Hours after a judge ruled that the outcome of another potential murder trial against him would likely be altered by the new evidence, Cordeiro was met with cheers, hugs and Hawaiian lei greetings when he emerged from the correctional facility. 'I thank all these people,' he said, referring to relatives, friends and members of his legal team who greeted him outside, according to video from CNN affiliate KHNL. 'These are the people that got me out. Without them, I wouldn't have made it.' Cordeiro, now 51, was in his 20s when he was convicted of the 1994 murder of Timothy Blaisdell during a drug deal robbery in Maui, according to the Hawaii Innocence Project, which took up his case and argued that new evidence – including DNA test results – showed he was not at the crime scene at the time of the murder. Project lawyers also pointed to what they said was false testimony against him and misconduct by prosecutors. On Friday, Circuit Court Judge Kirstin Hamman in Maui vacated Cordeiro's murder and robbery convictions and his sentence of life without parole, according to KHNL and The Associated Press. Cordeiro, sitting in court in a prison jumpsuit, wiped away tears as the ruling was delivered. His father, Dennis Cordeiro, fighting back tears, told KHNL he felt relief, joy and happiness 'that my son can finally do some family celebrations before I leave this world.' Cordeiro's first trial ended in a hung jury, with a single juror voting to convict, according to the Innocence Project. At a second trial, with the testimony of jailhouse informants looking to lessen their own sentences, prosecutors secured a conviction, Cordeiro's legal team said. 'This is a case that when you hear the facts of the case, you know somewhere deep in your heart there's been some fundamental unfairness going on,' Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, told reporters after Friday's ruling. The Innocence Project said on its website that 'additional DNA testing on multiple items from the crime scene' was conducted, and that it had new evidence showing that Cordeiro was 'not present anywhere at the crime scene.' It also obtained and compared DNA samples from potential suspects to DNA at the scene, the site said. Maui prosecutors could still refile charges against Cordeiro. Robert Rost, a deputy prosecuting attorney, told KHNL that while DNA evidence could be compelling in a decades-old cold case, he doesn't believe Cordeiro's lawyers 'met the standard to have this conviction set aside.' Gina Gormley, an attorney for Cordeiro, said: 'If they really sat down and took the time to look at evidence that came out, they should not re-try this case.' In a court filing, the Hawaii Innocence Project accused the state of relying on 'incentivized jailhouse informants and their fabricated evidence and testimony' about murder-for-hire plots – claims the judge rejected, according to The Associated Press. Cordeiro's lawyers maintain that on the day of the crime, he was building a shelving unit in the garage at his parents' house. The alibi, they said, was backed up by friends and others who saw him in the garage as well as receipts from where he purchased the shelving supplies. Cordeiro's legal team believes that another suspect, who the AP reported died in 2020, set up the victim to be robbed during a marijuana deal that ended in a fatal shooting.
CNN
22-02-2025
- CNN
Hawaii man freed after 30 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit
Gordon Cordeiro, who spent more than half his life in prison for a murder he denied committing, walked out of a Maui correctional center on what he called 'Freedom Friday' thanks to new DNA evidence. Hours after a judge ruled that the outcome of another potential murder trial against him would likely be altered by the new evidence, Cordeiro was met with cheers, hugs and Hawaiian lei greetings when he emerged from the correctional facility. 'I thank all these people,' he said, referring to relatives, friends and members of his legal team who greeted him outside, according to video from CNN affiliate KHNL. 'These are the people that got me out. Without them, I wouldn't have made it.' Cordeiro, now 51, was in his 20s when he was convicted of the 1994 murder of Timothy Blaisdell during a drug deal robbery in Maui, according to the Hawaii Innocence Project, which took up his case and argued that new evidence – including DNA test results – showed he was not at the crime scene at the time of the murder. Project lawyers also pointed to what they said was false testimony against him and misconduct by prosecutors. On Friday, Circuit Court Judge Kirstin Hamman in Maui vacated Cordeiro's murder and robbery convictions and his sentence of life without parole, according to KHNL and The Associated Press. Cordeiro, sitting in court in a prison jumpsuit, wiped away tears as the ruling was delivered. His father, Dennis Cordeiro, fighting back tears, told KHNL he felt relief, joy and happiness 'that my son can finally do some family celebrations before I leave this world.' Cordeiro's first trial ended in a hung jury, with a single juror voting to convict, according to the Innocence Project. At a second trial, with the testimony of jailhouse informants looking to lessen their own sentences, prosecutors secured a conviction, Cordeiro's legal team said. 'This is a case that when you hear the facts of the case, you know somewhere deep in your heart there's been some fundamental unfairness going on,' Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, told reporters after Friday's ruling. The Innocence Project said on its website that 'additional DNA testing on multiple items from the crime scene' was conducted, and that it had new evidence showing that Cordeiro was 'not present anywhere at the crime scene.' It also obtained and compared DNA samples from potential suspects to DNA at the scene, the site said. Maui prosecutors could still refile charges against Cordeiro. Robert Rost, a deputy prosecuting attorney, told KHNL that while DNA evidence could be compelling in a decades-old cold case, he doesn't believe Cordeiro's lawyers 'met the standard to have this conviction set aside.' Gina Gormley, an attorney for Cordeiro, said: 'If they really sat down and took the time to look at evidence that came out, they should not re-try this case.' In a court filing, the Hawaii Innocence Project accused the state of relying on 'incentivized jailhouse informants and their fabricated evidence and testimony' about murder-for-hire plots – claims the judge rejected, according to The Associated Press. Cordeiro's lawyers maintain that on the day of the crime, he was building a shelving unit in the garage at his parents' house. The alibi, they said, was backed up by friends and others who saw him in the garage as well as receipts from where he purchased the shelving supplies. Cordeiro's legal team believes that another suspect, who the AP reported died in 2020, set up the victim to be robbed during a marijuana deal that ended in a fatal shooting.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Hawaii beachside resort rocked by explosion, injuring at least 7 people
An explosion rocked a Hawaiian resort at around sunset on Thursday, injuring several people as smoke and debris clouded the postcard-perfect setting, authorities said. The blast happened at around 6:15 p.m., bringing Maui police officers and firefighters to 2481 Kāʻanapali Parkway, which is the address of The Whaler resort, officials people, between the ages of 18 to 74, were injured, police told NBC affiliate KHNL. Three people were critically injured, with one person flown to Maui Memorial Medical Center's emergency room, the station reported. "All victims have been transported from the scene," the Maui County Fire Department said in a statement late Thursday night. "There is no additional threat." A representative for the resort could not be immediately reached by NBC News on Friday morning. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. This article was originally published on
