Who was Connor Bowman’s wife, and did he have a girlfriend? The case of the doctor who allegedly poisoned his wife explained

Thousands of people entrust doctors with their health and safety each day. In Aug. 2023, Betty Bowman was allegedly poisoned and died. Two months later, her husband — Connor Bowman, who completed a Mayo Clinic residency — was charged with her murder.

According to People, Connor, who was 30 years old as of 2023, was a former medical resident and poison specialist at the University of Kansas when his wife, Betty, arrived at a local hospital complaining of food poisoning. Over time, Betty’s condition deteriorated. Four days later, she died. According to Betty’s obituary, her cause of death was “a sudden onset autoimmune and infectious illness.” Connor, meanwhile, said it might be hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which can cause white and red blood cells to attack one another, leading to multi-organ failure, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Suspiciously, though, an Olmsted County police affidavit states Connor tried to cancel Betty’s autopsy, arguing it was against her wishes. He also inquired what substances would be tested for in Betty’s toxicology report. And to the dismay of those who knew him, Connor seemed unfazed by his young wife’s sudden death — as would later be alleged, there was good reason.

Betty and Connor were having marital problems

As the police affidavit goes on to state, Betty Bowman’s friend said that Connor and his wife Betty were having marital problems. The couple discussed divorce, there had been infidelity, and an agreement to try an open marriage. Betty and Connor could not, however, become “emotionally involved” with other people, according to Law & Crime.

About 10 days before she died, Betty told a friend after drinking from a smoothie that it didn’t taste right, and commented Connor might be trying to poison her. Betty also told a friend she was drinking at home with “Bowman” the night before her symptoms started.

As Betty’s autopsy showed, her cause of death was not a sudden onset autoimmune disease at all, but colchicine poisoning, instead, a medicine typically used to treat gout. At that point, Betty’s death was declared a homicide. Shortly afterward, Connor was arrested.

Connor Bowman was caught with his girlfriend days later

Reportedly, Betty Bowman confronted her husband about a woman he was seeing, and brought up divorce. A friend of the Bowmans saw Connor’s girlfriend at the Bowman’s home, and all the pictures of Betty were taken down. Bowman was also in debt, and after his wife died, he collected a $500,000 insurance policy.

Meanwhile, Connor’s internet search history revealed he sought information about colchicine in the time leading up to Betty’s death, as well as information on the admissibility of internet search history in court and how to delete Amazon purchase data. Most tellingly, though, evidence gathered from Connor’s computer showed he calculated Betty’s weight, suggesting he was estimating how much of the substance would kill her.

On Jan. 4, 2024, Connor was indicted on first-degree premeditated murder charges and second-degree murder with intent, according to the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office in a press statement. As of this report, Connor had not yet entered a plea. If convicted he could spend the rest of his life in prison.