Several news agencies, citing officials, have reported that a lady from North Dakota has confessed to poisoning her boyfriend to death because she thought he would inherit $30 million.
According to online Ward County court documents, Ina Kenoyer, 48, pleaded guilty to murder in May and was sentenced on Wednesday, October 16, to 25 years in jail and 10 years of probation. In addition, she was mandated to reimburse the victim’s family $3,455.
An affidavit cited by KXNET-TV, Kenoyer was arrested on a felony murder charge on October 30, 2023, almost two months after her longtime partner, 51-year-old Steven Riley Jr., was poisoned to death. The complaint claims authorities stated that Riley passed away two days after Kenoyer added antifreeze to the sweet tea she prepared for him on September 3, 2023.
According to KXNET-TV, prosecutors claimed that once Riley, whom she had been dating for ten years, learned that he was about to inherit $30 million, Kenoyer poisoned him.
Friends of the pair told detectives that Riley intended to stop his relationship with Kenoyer when he received the alleged multi-million dollar inheritance, according to court documents that the Minot Daily News reported. The outlet claim authorities asserted that the inheritance was a fraud and have not yet identified the individual who spoke with Riley about it.
However, according to investigators, Riley was scheduled to meet with a lawyer at an airport on September 3, 2023, to talk about the inheritance, KXMB-TV said. But he got sick later that day.
The publication added, saying authorities stated that although his friends attempted to seek him medical attention, Kenoyer argued that he was experiencing heat stroke and took him home to recuperate.
Court documents cited claimed Kenoyer told a friend who came to check on Riley the following day that he had visited a walk-in clinic. However, the outlet claimed that no hospital or clinic documents indicated Riley had received any treatment.
Riley’s condition worsened over the next few days, and the site cites authorities as saying that they were eventually called to Riley’s residence after receiving a complaint of an unconscious person. He passed away on September 5, 2023, after being evacuated to a hospital.
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An autopsy determined Riley died of ethylene glycol poisoning, the Minot Daily News reports. Following Riley’s death, friends told police that Kenoyer had previously made comments about poisoning Riley with antifreeze, according to the outlet.
Kenoyer told investigators that Riley had been drinking all day on September 3, 2023, and that he experienced heat stroke, according to KXMB-TV, which cites officials, per the publication, the autopsy revealed no alcohol in his system.
Citing court records, the site also stated that Kenoyer acknowledged being aware of the bequest, to which she felt she was entitled as his common-law wife, the site claims that such connections are not recognized by the state.
Authorities said they discovered a number of items after searching the house, including a Windex bottle that contained a green liquid that they believe to be antifreeze, according to the Minot Daily News. The source claimed Kenoyer then admitted to hiding the taste by adding it to Riley’s sweet tea.
At her sentencing, Ryan Riley, Riley’s son, spoke to Kenoyer in court and described how difficult the loss has been for him.
“To have you take away someone so important, it’s just hurtful,” he said, per the Minot Daily News. “I can’t even find the words to describe how I feel and how much it burdens everyone. I just wish none of this ever happened. I never expected to lose my dad to something so selfish.”
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