A former Minnesota doctor is charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the death of his wife, according to reports.
A grand jury also charged 30-year-old Connor Bowman, a former internal medicine resident at Mayo Clinic, with second-degree murder without premeditated intent, in the death of 32-year-old Dr. Betty Bowman, a pharmacist and graduate of the KU School of Pharmacy.
Betty Bowman, allegedly went to the emergency room suffering from diarrhea and dehydration on August 16.
Her condition worsened during her time in the hospital, where she died four days later.
RPD said it received a tip that the possible suspect could be the woman’s husband, which prompted the investigation into Bowman. It brought forward evidence and probable cause to charge, according to RPD.
Authorities went on to say Connor Bowman allegedly gave his wife medication for ailments that neither he nor his wife suffered from.
Investigators said the Bowmans were having marital issues and were talking about a divorce following infidelity and a deteriorating relationship. According to Betty Bowman’s obituary, the couple was married in May 2021.
Friends told police that the Bowmans were in an open relationship, but Connor had developed an emotional connection with another woman, and were heading towards divorce.
That’s when investigators say he started his research. On Connor Bowman’s University of Kansas laptop, where he worked as a poison specialist, he searched for “poisons” and “lethal doses specifically for individuals weighing approximately 120 pounds.”
At one point, Connor Bowman made his wife a “suspicious smoothie,” and a friend even “joked with Betty … that Connor might have been trying to poison” her.
The night Betty Bowman went to the hospital, Connor Bowman “surprised her with an alcoholic drink.”
Over objections from Connor Bowman, an autopsy found Colchicine in Betty Bowman’s system, despite no gout diagnosis.
What put the case over the top for detectives: A $450,000 life insurance payment that was quickly put in Connor Bowman’s ban account.
Connor was arrested last October. If found guilty of first-degree murder in the case, Connor will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His next appearance is January 16 at 11:30 a.m. at the Olmsted County Courthouse.
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