A Minnesota doctor who once worked for poison control was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree murder, accused of poisoning his wife, who died in August.
Dr. Connor Bowman, 30, is accused of having killed his wife, Betty Bowman, who was 32 years old when she died Aug. 20, only four days after she was admitted to a hospital, as reported by NBC News.
Connor Stood to Gain From Betty’s Life Insurance Payout
Investigators “collected evidence that suggests Connor, who once worked for poison control, may have given Betty a drug for an ailment she did not have,” Rochester police said Monday. After her death was flagged as suspicious, police learned that the two were having financial and marital troubles and that Connor said he would get a hefty life insurance payout from her death.
Investigators, according to the complaint, also learned that Connor had debt, so he and his wife kept separate bank accounts, and that he told the tipster he was going to get $500,000 in life insurance because his wife died.
In mid-August, Betty was admitted to the hospital after having suffered from symptoms of diarrhoea and dehydration. Once there, she suffered from cardiac issues, fluid in her lungs and organ failure, according to a criminal complaint filed against Connor. She also had surgery to remove part of her colon.
Connor Asked for Her Wife to be Cremated Immediately
Following her death, Connor wanted to cremate his wife with urgency, but the medical examiner’s office halted the cremation after it determined her death was suspicious, the complaint said.
The Southeast Minnesota Medical Examiner’s Office alerted Rochester police on Aug. 21 about the suspicious death of a woman, according to a criminal complaint. The woman was not named in the complaint; police later identified her as his wife, Betty.
Police then spoke to a person who told investigators the Bowmans were having problems in their marriage and”were talking about a divorce following infidelity and a deteriorating relationship,” the complaint said.
Connor Researched About Drug Used to Treat Gout Before Poisoning Betty
A person from the University of Kansas who provided information to police told investigators on Sept. 29 that Connor was a poison specialist and answered calls about poisons, the complaint said.
Connor worked as a poison specialist on Aug. 5, 6 and 10, according to the complaint. He was also listed as a credentialed physician and surgeon with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and had an affiliation with the Mayo Clinic
The person told police Connor was researching colchicine, a drug used to treat gout, the complaint said. Bowman had not received calls about colchicine, and no other employee received calls about the drug, the complaint said.
Betty’s toxicology results showed colchicine was present in her blood and urine, which were taken when she was admitted to the hospital, according to the complaint. She did not have gout, nor was she given colchicine during her hospital stay leading up to her death, the complaint said.
“The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death of Victim to be toxic effects of colchicine and the manner of death to be homicide,” the complaint said. Police with a warrant also searched Bowman’s home and found a receipt for a $450,000 bank deposit, the complaint said. According to Betty’s obituary, she and Connor tied the knot on May 30, 2021.
Connor’s Bail Set at $2 Million, to be Monitored by GPS
Court records show Bowman’s unconditional bond was set Monday at $5 million. A $2 million bond was also set with conditions that he not use alcohol or drugs, be monitored by GPS and remain in Minnesota unless he has written court approval.
Bowman, who apparently had not posted bond, remained at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday, according to jail records
