A North Dakota woman has been arrested and charged with murder after allegedly poisoning her boyfriend due to “financial motives,” according to local police. Ina Thea Kenoyer, 47, was taken into custody by Minot police on Monday. The authorities accuse her of using antifreeze to kill her 51-year-old boyfriend, Steven Edward Riley Jr., after discovering his plans to break up with her following a substantial inheritance. Riley fell ill while meeting with a lawyer on September 3 to discuss the money. Kenoyer called emergency services the next day, and paramedics found Riley unresponsive. He was initially taken to a local medical facility but was later transferred to a Bismarck hospital, where he passed away on September 5. The cause of death, as determined by an autopsy, was poisoning.
During the investigation, law enforcement found a glass cleaner bottle without a cap, as well as a beer bottle and mug containing suspected antifreeze, at the couple’s residence. Kenoyer, however, maintains her innocence and asserted it during a court appearance on Tuesday. Charged with murder as a class AA felony, the most severe homicide charge in North Dakota, Kenoyer is currently being held at the Ward County Jail with a $1 million bond. She is representing herself in court, according to records obtained by the Associated Press.
Kenoyer claimed to investigators that she was entitled to a portion of Riley’s inheritance as his common-law wife and intended to split the money, which she estimated to be around $30 million, with his son. It is worth noting that North Dakota does not recognize common-law marriages, as reported by the New York Post. The complexity of the case was acknowledged by Investigations Commander Capt. Dale Plessas, who expressed gratitude to those who provided information to help piece it together. Kenoyer’s next court appearance is scheduled for December 7, and she could face a maximum sentence of life without parole.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
