Hours after her partner intended to abandon her and inherited $30 million, the woman was imprisoned for poisoning him fatally.
After finding out that her lover was going to abandon her since he had just received $30 million hours before, the woman from North Dakota poisoned him to death, according to authorities.
On Monday, October 30, Ina Thea Kenoyer, 47, was charged with the 51-year-old Steven Edward Riley Jr.’s murder on September 5.
According to U.S. Minot Police Department investigations commander Capt. Dale Plessas, “this case was extremely complex.”
Riley became ill when he met with his lawyer on Sept. 3 to collect the massive inheritance sum, witnesses told investigators, according to police records.
Kenoyer didn’t call 911 until the next day, Sept. 4, when paramedics arrived to find Riley unresponsive in his Minot home.
He died at the hospital the following day, Sept. 5, 2023.
An autopsy determined he was killed after ingesting antifreeze, which police allege Kenoyer fed him.
The accused killer proclaimed her innocence in a series of Facebook posts in the days leading up to her arrest, claiming Riley had killed himself.
“To the Shafer that almost hit me, that’s not married hello hunny I wish I was looking for someone but no I’m a one man woman, kind person, and Steve Riley the only man I ever wanted,” she said in a post three days before she was charged with murder.
Kenoyer told investigators she planned to split Riley’s inheritance, which she estimated to be around $30 million, with his son, the records state.
She claimed she was entitled to the fortune as his common-law wife. North Dakota, however, does not recognize such relationships.
Additionally, Riley had revealed plans to break off the romance shortly after receiving the massive sum, leading investigators to theorize she poisoned him to secure the treasure.
“Rest in peace dad… I had a feeling it was her with how everything played out, but I wish we made plans to see each other sooner,” Riley’s grieving son wrote on Facebook. “Hope she gets what she deserves for taking you from this world.”
the most severe murder charge in North
Kenoyer faces AA felony murder,the most severe murder charge in North Dakota.She is being held without bond.