Judge Rules on Motions to Quash Evidence in Rochester Murder Case
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Olmsted County judge has denied requests by a former Mayo Clinic physician to suppress much of the evidence used to indict him on first-degree murder charges, but is allowing challenges to continue on some of the evidence against 31-year-old Connor Bowman.
The Olmsted County Grand Jury returned the first-degree murder indictment against the Rochester man in January. He is accused of poisoning his wife by giving her a lethal dose of a medication used to treat gout. 32-year-old Dr. Betty Bowman died in August of last year.
The criminal complaint alleges Bowman initiated a number of Internet searches through a network connection at the University of Kansas, where he previously had served as a Poison Specialist. The court document says those searches involved the gout medication and the amount needed for a lethal dose in a person matching his wife's weight.
The evidence in the case also includes online activity related to purchases of the drug, evidence concerning a life insurance policy taken out by Bowman on his wife, and significant debts owed by Bowman. The criminal complaint also lists the results of blood and urine tests that detected the medication in samples taken from Mrs. Bowman while she was hospitalized and after her death.
In a ruling issued on Monday, the judge presiding over the case denied motions by Bowman to suppress evidence obtained by investigators through search warrants pertaining to his online activity through the University of Kansas, the results of a Mayo Clinic internal investigation, and records involving Bowman's banking activity and the life insurance policy.
The judge did rule Bowman can challenge the seizure of computers, phones and other items that were taken by investigators when they executed a search warrant at the residence he had shared with his late wife. It's expected that a hearing concerning the 13 items still in question will be held at a future date.
Bowman remains in custody at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center. His bail is set at $2 million.
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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow