Warrant: Former Mayo doctor may have tried to poison wife another time before succeeding

Kilat Fitzgerald KSTP

Betty Bowman (left, courtesy of LinkedIn) and Connor Bowman (right, courtesy of Olmsted County Adult Detention Center).

Court documents reveal new details showing that a former Mayo Clinic doctor who is accused of fatally poisoning his wife may have tried to poison her at least once before.

Connor Fitzgerald Bowman, 30, is accused of administering a dose of liquid colchicine that killed his wife, Betty Bowman, on Aug. 20.

KSTP sister station KAAL obtained reports that show witnesses told police that Betty Bowman joked about Connor Bowman possibly trying to poison her 10 days before she died.

Court documents also reveal that Connor Bowman was previously accused of harming a patient when he overprescribed a drug.

A search warrant details a conversation that one of Betty Bowman’s friends had with her in August. The warrant summarizes an interview that investigators had with the friend after BettyBowman’s death:

“[The friend] advised she remembered on 08/10/2023 she was visiting with Betty. Betty asked her to try a smoothie that Connor had given her. She tasted it and noticed it tasted very bad, she described it as bitter and salty, not like a smoothie would be expected to taste. She said jokingly at the time that Connor must be trying to poison her, but didn’t think much of it at the time. Betty even joked that she had considered it at the time, and said she didn’t think that would happen, but decided to not drink the smoothie anyway and threw it out. […] She thought it was strange the first time he made a smoothie for Betty because he never made anything for anybody, that fact alone was out of character for him, but then when she heard he had made something else and Betty got sick afterwards she was concerned.”

Betty died 10 days later.

Other search warrants detail what Rochester police found after examining Connor Bowman’s bank accounts. Investigators reportedly found that he purchased colchicine from the site Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs. The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office listed the toxic effects of colchicine, a medication often prescribed for gout, as Betty Bowman’s cause of death, which was ruled a homicide.

Connor Bowman had reportedly told several people that Betty died of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, despite never being diagnosed with the rare disease.

Multiple witnesses with medical knowledge also spoke to police about Betty Bowman’s death, saying the rate of her health’s deterioration between Aug. 16 and Aug. 20 seemed unnatural.

Court documents also show that Connor Bowman was accused of harming a patient after overprescribing them barbiturate — which is used to help patients sleep and prevent seizures.

The warrant states a witness, described as one of Connor Bowman’s coworkers, told police that Connor Bowman admitted to him that this led to a complaint with the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy. The complaint reportedly described Connor Bowman as “a threat to society.”

Another witness, described as a “close friend” of Betty’s, was also aware of the complaint but didn’t know of the details because it was investigated “above her level,” according to police.

Connor Bowman is still credentialed as a medical practitioner in Rochester, according to the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice.

He is currently in custody at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center.