Ina Kenoyer is a killer from North Dakota who would be convicted of the murder of Steven Riley Jr
According to court documents Ina Kenoyer believed that her boyfriend Steven Riley Jr was going to inherit millions of dollars and she was worried that he would not share the windfall with her.
So Ina Kenoyer would spike a drink using ethylene glycol which is basically the main ingredient found in antifreeze. After consuming the drink Steven Riley would pass away
Ina Kenoyer would soon be arrested, charged and later convicted of murder and sentenced to twenty five years in prison
As for the inheritance that Ina Kenoyer believed Steven Riley Jr was going to receive it turns out to be a common email scheme and it never existed to begin with
Ina Kenoyer Case
Nearly a year after she was arrested on one count of murder in the poisoning death of her longtime boyfriend, a Minot woman has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars in the case.
Ina Kenoyer, 48, had plans to claim 51-year-old Steven Edward Riley Jr.’s $30 million inheritance after his death, court documents said. She believed she was entitled to the money because she was Riley’s common-law wife — but she did not realize that North Dakota does not legally recognize common-law marriage, court documents said.
Kenoyer was arrested on Oct. 30, 2023, and charged with Class AA felony murder in Ward County for poisoning Riley the previous month. According to the criminal complaint, Kenoyer did not seek medical attention for an obviously ill Riley and denied his friends’ pleas to take him to a hospital for more than a day, when an ambulance finally was called to respond to a report of an unconscious male.
Riley was first taken to Trinity Hospital in Minot, then flown to a Bismarck hospital, where he died on Sept. 5, 2023.
Riley’s friends reported to law enforcement shortly after hearing he died that Kenoyer made comments that “he (Riley) was poisoned with antifreeze even though no lab work tests for antifreeze had been completed and no medical professionals had conveyed any information about Riley’s condition to Kenoyer,” court documents said.
The coroner’s results later found toxic levels of ethylene glycol, a key ingredient in antifreeze, in Riley’s system and listed ethylene glycol poisoning as his cause of death.
Kenoyer and Riley had been in a relationship for about 10 years, and she referred to herself as his wife, but the relationship appeared to have soured by the day of his poisoning. A friend of the couple told police Kenoyer had thrown Riley’s belongings outside that day, and that she was angry and believed he was going to leave her
Friends also told law enforcement that Riley believed he was the recipient of a $30 million inheritance and planned to meet a lawyer at the airport that day to complete the deal. Kenoyer admitted to detectives that she was aware of Riley’s inheritance and was planning on splitting that money with Riley’s son.
“Kenoyer was incensed when apprised by detectives that North Dakota does not recognize common law marriage and she would in fact not be entitled to any portion of any inheritance,” court documents said.
Class AA felony murder is punishable in North Dakota by a maximum of life in prison without parole. Kenoyer pleaded guilty to the charge at the end of May.
On Wednesday, Oct. 16, North Central District Court Judge Richard Hagar sentenced Kenoyer to 50 years in prison, with 25 years behind bars and 25 years suspended with 10 years of supervised probation. He also ordered Kenoyer to pay $3,455 in restitution to Riley’s family.
