Former Mayo Clinic doctor indicted on first-degree murder of wife
- Connor Bowman has been indicted on first-degree murder of wife
- Betty Bowman died days after complaining of stomach distress, was poisoned
- The next court hearing is for Jan. 16
Connor Bowman, 30, was arrested and initially charged with second degree murder in the death of his wife Betty Bowman, 32. He was handed a second charge for murder in the first degree last week after new revelations. (Credit: Olmsted County Adult Detention Center)
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(NewsNation) — A poison specialist and former medical resident at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who was previously charged with the fatal poisoning of his wife, a pharmacist also at Mayo Clinic, has been indicted for first-degree murder, according to reports.
Back in October, Connor Bowman, 30, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of his wife Betty Bowman, 32. Betty Bowman died four days after she went to a hospital in August with stomach distress.
Now, Connor Bowman has been charged with one count of premeditated first degree murder in addition to the charge previously filed, KARE 11 reported.
The indictment was issued by a grand jury in Olmsted County, Minnesota, on Jan. 5, according to the report. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
The Rochester Police Department says it received a tip that Betty Bowman’s husband could be a suspect, which led to the investigation into his actions.
Connor Bowman tried to stop Betty’s autopsy, saying she should be cremated immediately.
Citing suspicious circumstances, the medical examiner’s office halted the order for cremation, according to a criminal complaint.
An autopsy showed Betty Bowman died from the toxic effects of colchicine, a medicine used to treat gout — even though medical records do not show she was diagnosed with the disease and had not been prescribed the drug.
The complaint states Connor Bowman had been researching colchicine before his wife’s death and that six days before her hospitalization, he had converted Betty’s weight to kilograms and multiplied that by eight.
The lethal dosage rate for colchicine is 0.8 mg/kg, per the complaint.
While she was in the hospital, Connor Bowman suggested Betty was suffering from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, but hospital tests came back inconclusive. However, the complaint says Connor Bowman still told multiple people that Betty died from HLH.
One woman told investigators the couple had been talking about divorce.
Another woman, the complaint says, told authorities Connor Bowman said he was going to get $500,000 in life insurance from his wife’s death. Authorities, the Associated Press reports, found a $450,000 bank deposit receipt in Connor Bowman’s home.
Connor Bowman remains in police custody and his next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16.
The Associated Press and NewsNation’s Cassie Buchman contributed to this report.