ROCHESTER — Bail will remain at $2 million for a former Mayo Clinic doctor who is accused of poisoning his wife.
Connor Fitzgerald Bowman, 30, was in Olmsted County District Court on Tuesday, Jan. 16, for his A grand jury indicted Bowman on Jan. 4. His wife, after she went to an emergency room days earlier complaining of diarrhea and dehydration.
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Prosecutors asked District Court Judge Kathy M. Wallace to increase Bowman’s conditional bail from $2 million to $5 million and set his unconditional bail at $10 million, up from $5 million. They argued that the more serious charge, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, changed the stakes of the case.
“We’ve reached a point where the stakes are so high,” said Joseph Rosholt, senior attorney for the Olmsted County Attorney's Office.
Bowman’s attorney, Graham Henry, said the facts in the case haven’t changed, that bail should remain as set, and that the severity of the charge is the only change in the case — something the court should not consider as a factor in setting bail.
Bowman was initially charged in October with felony second-degree murder with intent but not premeditated.
“They did it based off the exact same facts as they presented to the grand jury,” Henry said, adding the fact that Bowman has not yet posted bail indicates he can’t afford it as it sits now.
Rosholt also told Judge Wallace that the state has “significantly more” a drug prosecutors say Bowman used to poison his wife.
“In fact, the state has confirmed purchase from the online pharmacy,” Rosholt said.
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Wallace denied Rosholt’s request, but added that an additional condition to Bowman’s release is that he provide a Minnesota residence address. Court records list his address as being in Maine.
Wallace also granted Bowman's attorneys access to the grand jury testimony. They asked for time to review the transcripts before the next hearing in the case.
Betty Bowman was scheduled to be cremated, but that was halted after the examiner's office learned of possible suspicious circumstances.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Bowman, he searched for and found the lethal dosage of colchicine for his wife's weight, according to the report. Police also found that he had purchased colchicine online, according to search warrants.
The Southeast Minnesota Medical Examiner's Office toxicology report listed colchicine, a drug used to treat gout, as a substance in Betty Bowman's system. She did not suffer from any ailments that would require the drug.
The office investigated the death as suspicious after a woman called the examiner's office and said that Betty and her husband were having marital issues and were talking about filing for divorce due to infidelity issues.
An omnibus hearing on the charge will be scheduled in Olmsted County District Court.