ROCHESTER, Minn. — A Mayo Clinic doctor accused of poisoning his wife in August had his charges upgraded to first-degree murder Friday after being indicted by a grand jury.
Court documents filed in Olmsted County show 30-year-old Connor Bowman is now charged with one count of premeditated first-degree murder, in addition to one count of second-degree murder, in the death of his wife Betty Jo Bowman.
If convicted, Connor Bowman could serve the rest of his life in prison.
Betty Jo died on Aug. 20 following a brief hospitalization, according to the criminal complaint. Prosecutors said they learned from a close friend of Betty Jo's that leading up to her death, the Bowmans were allegedly having marital issues. Betty Jo's friend told investigators Betty Jo was planning to divorce her husband over a large amount of debt she claimed he had hidden from her, in addition to an alleged affair.
In search warrant applications filed by Rochester police investigator Alex Kendrick, it was also revealed that another witness said Betty Jo became suspicious of her husband - an internal medicine doctor and a former "poison specialist" at the University of Kansas - and his alleged attempts to poison her just 10 days before she died. Court documents said Connor asked Betty Jo to try a smoothie but Betty Jo "considered the possibility" it contained poison so she disposed of it.
Additional incidents were also reported in court documents, including one Aug. 16 in which Betty Jo consumed an alcoholic drink made by Connor that caused her to become "violently ill" and reportedly led to her hospitalization and ultimate death.
Authorities claim yet another witness said Connor received $500,000 from an insurance policy on Betty Jo, and in the days leading up to her death he had searched for colchicine, or liquid colchicine, to purchase through an online pharmacy. Colchicine is mainly used to treat gout, a condition that Betty Jo Bowman had no history of.
After Betty Jo's death, an autopsy showed she had toxic levels of the medication in her body.
Bowman remains in custody at the Olmsted County Jail. His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16.
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