Woman Poisons Boyfriend, Believing He Would Inherit $30 Million

A North Dakota woman has been sentenced after admitting to fatally poisoning her boyfriend, believing he was set to inherit $30 million.

Ina Kenoyer, 48, received a 25-year prison sentence, followed by 10 years of probation, on Wednesday, October 16, after pleading guilty to murder in May, according to online records from Ward County court.

She was also ordered to pay $3,455 in restitution to the victim’s family.

Kenoyer was arrested on a felony murder charge on October 30, 2023, nearly two months after the poisoning death of her longtime boyfriend, 51-year-old Steven Riley Jr.

Authorities reported that Kenoyer added antifreeze to sweet tea she prepared for Riley on September 3, 2023, and he died two days later.

Prosecutors stated that Kenoyer poisoned Riley, her boyfriend of 10 years, after he reportedly received information about a potential $30 million inheritance.

Court documents cited by the Minot Daily News revealed that friends of the couple told investigators that Riley intended to break up with Kenoyer once he received the alleged inheritance.

However, investigators believe the inheritance was a scam and have not identified the person who communicated this information to Riley.

On September 3, 2023, Riley was scheduled to meet with a lawyer at an airport to discuss the inheritance but fell ill later that day. His friends attempted to get him medical treatment, but Kenoyer insisted he was suffering from heat stroke and they took him home to rest.

When a friend checked on Riley the next day, Kenoyer claimed he had visited a walk-in clinic. However, no records from any clinic or hospital indicated that Riley had been treated.

As days passed, his condition worsened, and authorities were eventually called to his home regarding an unconscious person. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he died on September 5, 2023.

An autopsy determined that Riley died from ethylene glycol poisoning. Following his death, friends informed police that Kenoyer had previously made comments about poisoning him with antifreeze.

During her conversations with investigators, Kenoyer claimed that Riley had been drinking alcohol all day on September 3 and was suffering from heat stroke. However, no alcohol was detected in his system during the autopsy.

Court documents revealed that Kenoyer acknowledged knowing about the inheritance, which she believed she was entitled to as his common-law wife, despite the fact that their state does not recognize such relationships.

Authorities found several items during a search of the home, including a Windex bottle containing a green liquid suspected to be antifreeze. Kenoyer later confessed to adding it to Riley’s sweet tea to mask the taste.

At Kenoyer’s sentencing, Riley’s son, Ryan, addressed her in court, expressing the profound impact his father’s loss has had on him.