In a shocking turn of events, a Minnesota-based poison control doctor, Dr.
Connor Bowman, 30, of the Mayo Clinic, has been accused of poisoning his wife, Betty Bowman, 32, a pharmacist at the same hospital.
The charges against Dr. Bowman have been escalated from second-degree to first-degree premeditated murder, as per his indictment last week. The couple, who were reportedly in an open relationship, were allegedly on the brink of divorce.
The announcement of the indictment was made by Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem, who stated that a grand jury had indicted Bowman on one count of first-degree premeditated murder with intent and an additional count of second-degree murder with intent. The indictment authorizes a penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, as per a press release from Ostrem's office.
"Betty Bowman became suddenly ill, reported to the hospital emergency department and on Aug. 20, 2023, she died," the release reads. "Following an exhaustive investigation, law enforcement determined that Ms. Bowman died from a poisoning."
The case took a suspicious turn when Bowman requested an immediate cremation of his wife following her four-day hospital stay and subsequent death on Aug. 20. This raised the alarm for an Olmsted County coroner who alerted the police. Around the same time, a friend of the deceased woman contacted the examiner's office, expressing concerns about the couple's deteriorating relationship and impending divorce.
Friends later revealed to the police that the couple was experimenting with an open relationship. However, Betty Bowman was considering divorce after her husband developed an emotional connection with another woman, as reported by the Post Bulletin.
In the weeks leading up to her death, Betty had confided in her friends about her husband's mounting debt of about $500,000, and their separate bank accounts. Meanwhile, Connor allegedly told a friend that he would receive a $500,000 insurance payout if his wife were to die. A $450,000 bank deposit note was discovered during a search of the Bowmans' home following the doctor's arrest.
The investigation gained momentum after Betty's blood samples were tested at the Minnesota Department of Health. Medical professionals found 29ng/ml of colchicine a medication used in smaller doses to treat gout in her bloodstream at the time of her death. Medical examiners noted that there was no reason for her to take the drug as she did not exhibit any symptoms of gout.
Betty's cause of death was ruled as the toxic effects of colchicine, according to court documents, and her manner of death was ruled a suicide.
In his late wife's obituary, Bowman claimed that she suffered from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) a rare illness where certain blood cells are over-produced and damage organs. However, tests for HLH were inconclusive.
Detectives discovered that Bowman had used his medical credentials to access his wife's electronic health information during her emergency department stay for suspected food poisoning. He also accessed her information a few days after she died, reviewing the medication she was administered, her reported allergies, and an operating room log.
Days before Betty fell ill, Bowman allegedly searched "delete Amazon history police," "police track package delivery" and "internet browsing history: can it be used in court?" Five days later, he allegedly searched "food v. industrial grade sodium nitrate," and looked up a medical journal used by doctors to test the lethality of certain substances.
Investigators believe that Bowman converted his wife's weight to kilograms and multiplied it by 0.8 to determine the lethal dose of colchicine. Days before Betty fell ill, Bowman purchased a gift card for a website that sold the drug, police said.
A man who was dating Betty, referred to as "SS" in court documents, told detectives that the woman "had a few days off and was looking to spend some time with him" on Aug. 14. The next day, before she was admitted to the hospital, Betty texted the other man that she was sick and unable to sleep she blamed an alcoholic drink mixed with a large smoothie she drank last night for her illness, the man told police.
Betty, a diligent and capable hospital pharmacist, had graduated from the University of Kansas with a pharmaceutical doctorate in 2018.
Bowman's next court date is scheduled for January 16, according to Ostrem's press release, and his bail is set at $2 million.
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