Poison Specialist Accused of Murdering Wife by Putting Chemicals in Drink Wanted to Have Her Cremated: Docs

Mar. 15, 2025

Betty Bowman.Photo:Sarah Leeser/GoFundMe

Sarah Leeser/GoFundMe

On Jan. 4, an Olmsted grand jury indicted Connor Bowman, 30, on an upgraded charge of first-degree premeditated murder as well as second-degree murder with intent, the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office announced in apress statement.

Bowman had initially been charged with second-degree murder following his arrest on Oct. 20, 2023. If convicted of the first degree murder charge, Bowman “shall be sentenced to life in prison without possibility of release,” the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office said.

The National Library of Medicinestatesthat the substance is used for treating gout, but can be fatal if administered at a high dosage — which is anything over 0.5mg/kg.

Betty was hospitalized on Aug. 16, 2023, due to symptoms that resembled food-poisoning, according to the complaint. She had been admitted with severe gastrointestinal distress and dehydration and her condition “deteriorated rapidly,” the complaint states.

The complaint states Connor allegedly suggested to doctors that his wife suffered from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare auto-immune disease in which white blood cells attack other blood cells and can cause multi-organ failure, perJohns Hopkins Medicine. However, tests for HLH came back inconclusive.

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In late September 2023, police searched Connor’s home and seized a University of Kansas laptop. His online searches allegedly showed purchase queries for the substance five days before Betty’s death, as well as queries on whether internet searches can be used in court and about deleting Amazon data, according to the complaint.

Betty’s toxicology findings, taken while she was hospitalized on Aug. 17, 2023, showed that the level of colchicine in her blood was 29 ng/mL, which was taken around 24 hours after she started exhibiting symptoms that sent her to the hospital, according to the complaint. Her medical records did not show she was diagnosed with gout or HLH.

The medical examiner eventually determined Betty’s cause of death was toxic effects of colchicine and the manner of death to be homicide, the complaint states. At the time of Connor’s October 2023 arrest, authorities searched his home again, and allegedly found a receipt for a $450,000 bank deposit.

According to the complaint, Betty had reportedly told others that Connor was in debt, so they kept separate bank accounts. At one point, Connor allegedly told a woman who spoke with police and is identified in the complaint as SEL, that she had been suffering from HLH and he was going to get $500,000 in life insurance as a result of her death.

“I would like to sincerely thank everyone for their generous support on the GoFundMe page,” Sponsel wrote in an Oct. 27 update. “The donations have been overwhelming and I feel truly blessed to have so many wonderful people out there.”

“This has exceeded more than I could ever imagine,” the grieving mother added. “I want to thank everyone again for your generosity. Betty was an amazing person and we miss her dearly.” The fundraiser has garnered more than $13,000 in donations as of Jan. 8.

Connor is expected to be arraigned in court on Jan. 16, according to the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office. In a statement shared with PEOPLE last October, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota said Connor is a former resident of the facility.

“We are aware of the recent arrest of a former Mayo Clinic resident on charges unrelated to his Mayo Clinic responsibilities,” the statement read. “The resident’s training at Mayo Clinic ended earlier this month.”

It’s unclear if Connor has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

source: people.com