North Dakota woman Ina Kenoyer is accused of fatally poisoning Steven Riley with antifreeze after learning he planned to break up with her after receiving $30M inheritance
- Ina Thea Kenoyer, 47, has been charged with murdering her boyfriend in an attempt to get his hands on his $30 million inheritance
- Steven Riley, 51, died after Kenoyer allegedly gave him antifreeze the day he received the windfall
A North Dakota woman has been accused of fatally poisoning her boyfriend to pocket the $30 million inheritance he received just hours earlier.
Ina Thea Kenoyer, 47, allegedly killed Steven Edward Riley Jr., 51, by giving him antifreeze on September 3, the day he met with his lawyer to collect the massive sum, police records show.
Investigators believe Kenoyer had “financial motives” after learning Riley planned to end their relationship once he received the inheritance.
Kenoyer told investigators she believed he was entitled to the fortune as his common-law wife, a status North Dakota does not recognize, and planned to share the windfall with Riley’s son.
Riley became ill on September 3, but his partner did not call 911 until the next day, witnesses told police.
Ina Thea Kenoyer (photo) was charged on Monday with poisoning her boyfriend
Steven Riley (pictured) died after ingesting antifreeze, an autopsy of his body has revealed
When paramedics arrived, they found Riley unresponsive in his Minot home and he was rushed to Trinity Hospital in Minot.
He was later taken to a hospital in Bismarck, where he died the next day.
Kenoyer told authorities that Riley had been drinking heavily and had suffered heatstroke the previous day.
An autopsy revealed that he had not been drinking and had died after ingesting antifreeze.
During a police search of the couple’s home, a Windex bottle containing suspected antifreeze was found.
In the garage were a beer bottle and a plastic mug, both suspected of containing antifreeze.
Kenoyer denied the allegations in a series of rambling Facebook posts.
“To the Shafer who almost hit me, he’s not married, hello hunny. “I wish I was looking for someone, but no, I’m a one-man woman, a nice person, and Steve Riley is the only man I ever wanted,” she said in a post three days before she was charged with murder.
Police believe Kenoyer (right) had ‘financial motives’ to kill Riley (left) after inheriting $30 million
Kenoyer told investigators she believed she was entitled to the fortune as his common-law wife, a status North Dakota does not recognize
Kenoyer (pictured), who has denied the charges, faces life in prison without parole
Riley’s son wrote on Facebook after her arrest, “Rest in Peace Dad…I had a feeling it was her with how everything turned out, but I wish we had made plans to see each other sooner.”
Riley’s son Ryan wrote on Facebook after her arrest: ‘Rest in peace dad… I had a feeling it was her with how everything turned out but f**k I wish we had made plans to see each other sooner. ‘
“I hope she gets what she deserves for taking you from this world.”
Kenoyer faces AA murder charges, the most serious murder charge in North Dakota, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
She is being held without bond at the Ward County Detention Center and is representing herself, court records show.