A Minnesota doctor accused of fatally poisoning his pharmacist wife now faces a tougher charge that could put him in prison for the rest of his life, if convicted.

Connor Fitzgerald Bowman, 30, was indicted last week on one count of first-degree murder – premeditated and one count of second-degree murder with intent for the August 2023 death of Betty Bowman, 32.

The Olmstead County Attorney’s Office said if Bowman is convicted on the first-degree murder charge, he would automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. “The Grand Jury found probable cause that Mr. Bowman intentionally and with premeditation was responsible for her death,” County Attorney Mark Ostrem said in a statement.

Bowman was arrested on October 20 and initially charged with second-degree murder. The criminal complaint said that Betty Bowman, who worked for the Mayo Clinic, died from “the toxic effect of colchicine,” a medicine primarily used to treat gout. There was nothing in Betty Bowman’s medical record to indicate she was ever prescribed colchicine or diagnosed with gout, investigators said.