North Dakota woman accused of poisoning boyfriend over inheritance to serve 25 years in prison

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A North Dakota woman who was accused of poisoning her boyfriend will serve 25 years in prison following a guilty plea.

Ina Thea Kenoyer, 48, was arrested by Minot police last October after she was accused of using antifreeze to kill 51-year-old Steven Edward Riley Jr. Authorities said Kenoyer believed he was going to break up with her after receiving a large inheritance, but investigators doubted the inheritance existed, the Minot Daily News reported. 

Kenoyer entered her guilty plea in May after accepting a deal with prosecutors, according to KFYR-TV. 

State District Judge Richard Hagar on Wednesday accepted attorneys’ joint sentencing recommendation of 50 years in prison – for Kenoyer to serve 25 years, with 25 years suspended – along with 10 years of supervised probation and $3,455 in restitution paid to Riley’s family.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF POISONING, KILLING BOYFRIEND HOURS AFTER HE RECEIVED AN INHERITANCE

This photo from Steve Riley’s Facebook shows him with the girlfriend accused of killing him, Ina Kenoyer. (Facebook/Steve Riley)

Riley reportedly became ill while meeting with a lawyer on Sept. 3. Kenoyer called 911 the next day, and paramedics found Riley unresponsive. He was originally taken to a local medical facility before being transferred to a Bismarck hospital where he died Sept. 5, police said on Facebook. 

An autopsy found Riley died from ethylene glycol poisoning, according to a Minot police officer’s affidavit. Ethylene glycol is used in antifreeze.

EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING BEGINS FOR ALASKA, ARKANSAS, CONNECTICUT, IDAHO, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TEXAS

Defendant Ina Thea Kenoyer exits the courtroom with her attorney, Tyler Morrow, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Minot, North Dakota. (Charles Crane/Minot Daily News via AP)

Authorities said Kenoyer claimed Riley had been drinking alcohol all day and suffered heat stroke in the days before his death. Kenoyer knew of the alleged inheritance, which she thought was over $30 million and felt she was due a portion of it as Riley’s common-law wife, according to the affidavit.

North Dakota, however, does not recognize common-law marriages.

Minot Police Department arrested Ina Thea Kenoyer on Oct. 30, 2023, and charged her with killing her boyfriend through poisoning. (Google Earth)

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Riley’s sister, Stephanie Gonzalez, provided a victim impact statement to the court that read, “Regardless of what your final sentence will be, it will be too good for you. Like the families of any victim feels, the punishment should fit the crime. Fortunately for you, the Department of Corrections doesn’t put antifreeze in the iced tea.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.