Minot, North Dakota — A North Dakota woman will serve 25 years in prison for poisoning her lover, who authorities say believed he was set to inherit a substantial sum of money and intended to end their relationship.
Ina Thea Kenoyer was charged with murder in October 2023 after the death of 51-year-old Steven Riley Jr. Riley was hospitalized and died on September 5, 2023, after becoming unwell and losing consciousness, according to court filings.
According to an affidavit from a Minot police officer, an autopsy revealed that he died of ethylene glycol poisoning. Ethylene glycol is used as an antifreeze.
Kenoyer pleaded guilty in May. According to The Minot Daily News, State District Judge Richard Hagar accepted attorneys’ joint sentencing recommendation of 50 years in prison — for Kenoyer to serve 25 years, with 25 years suspended — as well as 10 years of supervised probation and $3,455 in restitution paid to Riley’s family.
The charge carried a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
Riley’s friends and family contacted Minot police, concerned that Kenoyer had poisoned him with antifreeze, according to the complaint. His pals told detectives that his health suddenly deteriorated at the airport, where he had gone to meet with a lawyer to finalize the inheritance deal, the officer noted.
According to authorities, Kenoyer said Riley had been drinking all day and suffering from heat stroke in the days leading up to his death. According to the statement, Kenoyer was aware of the bequest, which she believed to be worth more than $30 million, and believed she was entitled to a piece of it as Riley’s common-law wife.
North Dakota does not accept common-law marriages. According to the publication, investigators questioned whether the inheritance existed at all.
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