Bowman omnibus opens with arguments about evidence from work electronics
(ABC 6 News) – Connor Bowman’s omnibus hearing Sept. 4 began with arguments about evidence from the former Mayo Clinic doctor’s work electronics –and whether it could be used in court.
Bowman is accused of the premeditated poisoning and murder of his wife, Betty Bowman, in August of 2023. He faces a charge of 1st-degree murder and a charge of 2nd-degree murder.
Ahead of the hearing, Bowman’s defense filed multiple motions attempting to suppress evidence law enforcement collected through search warrants for Bowman’s computers, phone, work files, and home.
Related: Latest in former Mayo Clinic doctor’s murder case ahead of omnibus hearing
The centerpiece of the defense’s argument was the expectation of privacy Bowman had regarding his personal devices and the medical privilege he held as a physician with Mayo Clinic.
According to Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem, that expectation of privacy will be a deciding factor in this case.
“In your workplace, you have some expectation of privacy but it is going to be a little bit more limited depending on where you work and what you do,” Ostrem said. “The foundational part of the issue is to figure out what is an expectation of privacy for a Mayo Clinic employee.”
The State of Minnesota called former University of Kansas legal officer Teresa Keller and Mayo Clinic risk analyst Chad Nelson, who helped to provide information from Bowman’s work electronics to law enforcement during the initial murder investigation.
Bowman’s charging documents claimed the University of Kansas determined Bowman had extensively researched colchicine, the gout medicine that killed Betty Bowman, in the weeks before her death.
Keller and Nelson both detailed employee policies that, they say, ensured Connor Bowman had no reasonable expectation of privacy while using his work computers.
The matter was not resolved Wednesday, and Olmsted County judge Kathy Wallace ordered the defense and prosecution to submit arguments by end of day Sept. 23.
Bowman’s defense also claimed various warrants failed to state that Bowman was accused of murder. Wallace ordered the defense to submit more information about the alleged lack of probable cause by Sept. 23.
Bowman’s next hearing has not yet been scheduled.