Poison expert accused of murdering his wife by poisoning her

A doctor with expertise in poison has been accused of murdering his wife by poisoning her.

Dr Connor Bowman, 30, was charged with second degree murder after his wife, Betty Bowan, 32, died from the toxic effects of a medicine used for gout.

Ms Bowman, who had never been diagnosed with gout, was admitted to hospital in Rochester, Minnesota in the US on August 16 this year with stomach issues.

Her initial symptoms were similar to food poisoning, Sky News reports, but worsened over time.

Ms Bowman, a pharmacist, then suffered cardiac problems, fluid in her lungs and organ failure and she died on August 20.

Her husband tried to prevent an autopsy taking place, saying her death was caused by a rare illness, but the medical examiner’s office became suspicious and alerted police.

A criminal complaint was made and the autopsy went ahead. It found Ms Bowman had died from the toxic effects of gout medication, colchicine.

According to the complaint, six days before Ms Bowman went to hospital, Bowman went online to convert her weight to kilograms and searched what a lethal amount of colchicine was.

A man, identified as SS in the complaint, claimed she told him the night before she died that she had been drinking at home with Bowman and woke up the following morning feeling unwell.

The complaint also said a friend of Ms Bowman told police the couple had been having marriage issues due to infidelity and other problems, CBS Minnesota reports.

She also said Bowman had debts and had told a friend he would receive $500,000 (£412,000) in life insurance if his wife died.

Ms Bowman’s friends were said to be stunned to learn of Bowman’s murder charge.

Speaking to CBS News, one friend said: ‘Nothing seemed out of place or unusual. I start to look back now and you think, “well maybe, what was that about?” You just start getting haunted by little things that you would think nothing about at the time, because why would you?’

Bowman was registered as a doctor and surgeon with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and is believed to have connections with the Mayo Clinic, which is a not-for-profit American academic medical centre.

In a statement this week, a spokesperson for the Mayo Clinic acknowledged the recent arrest of a ‘former resident’ at Mayo Clinic but did not confirm whether or not it was Bowman.

Bowman also worked as a poison specialist, answering calls on the topic, using devices from the University of Kansas to aide his work. A woman from the university said he’d been researching colchicine but had not received any calls asking about the drug.

Ms Bowman’s family told Sky’s sister station, NBC, that she was a ‘reliable pillar of strength and a listening ear during times of joy and sorrow’.

Bowman is scheduled to appear in court on 1 November.

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