MINOT, N.D. – A woman in North Dakota is accused of killing her boyfriend by poisoning him after he reportedly planned to dump her once he inherited $30 million, according to police.
Ina Thea Kenoyer, 47, was taken into custody and charged Monday with the Sept. 5 murder of 51-year-old Steven Edward Riley Jr. in a vengeful act that police said was driven by “financial motives.”
Police in North Dakota provided the following investigative overview:
The Minot Police Department arrested a Minot woman on Oct. 30 and charged her with killing her boyfriend through poisoning.
Steven Edward Riley Jr, a 51-year-old Minot man, died on Sept. 5, 2023, at a Bismarck hospital. Riley was initially brought to Trinity Hospital but was transferred to a Bismarck hospital where he later died. Autopsy results determined that the cause of death was poisoning.
Police believe that Riley’s girlfriend, 47-year-old, Ina Thea Kenoyer, Minot, had financial motives to murder Riley.
“This case was extremely complex,” Investigations Commander Capt. Dale Plessas said. “Thank you to everyone who provided us with information that helped our investigators piece this together.”
The investigation is ongoing.
On Sept. 3, Riley became ill when he met with his attorney to collect a sum of approximately $30 million from an inheritance, witnesses told investigators, according to police records.
Kenoyer failed to call 911 until the following day. Paramedics arrived at Riley’s home in Minot and discovered him unresponsive. He died the next day at the hospital, the New York Post reported.
An autopsy revealed that Riley was killed after ingesting antifreeze. Police allege Kenoyer poisoned him with the automotive product.
An autopsy revealed Steven Edward Riley Jr. was poisoned with antifreeze. (Steven Riley/Facebook)
In the days leading up to her arrest, Kenoyer proclaimed her innocence in a series of ridiculous Facebook posts by claiming Riley killed himself, not exactly the first move you’d expect from a new multi-millionaire.
Despite her claim as Riley’s common-law wife in order to get her hands on his new wealth, North Dakota does not recognize such relationships.
“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 social media post three days prior to her arrest for murder.
According to police records, Kenoyer told detectives she planned to split Riley’s windfall inheritance, which she estimated to be about $30 million, with his son.
However, Riley revealed plans to detach himself from Kenoyer shortly after receiving the massive sum, leading investigators to theorize that she poisoned him to secure the loot.
Kenoyer believed she was entitled to Riley’s new wealth as his common-law wife. (Steven Riley/Facebook)
“Rest in peace dad… I had a feeling it was her with how everything played out, but f–k 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.”
Kenoyer is charged with Class AA Felony Murder, which is the most severe murder charge in North Dakota. She was booked at the Ward County Jail.
According to court records, Kenoyer plans to represent herself in court, The Post reported.
UPDATE: According to Ryan Riley, the victim’s 21-year-old son, his dad had unwittingly fallen victim to an online scam and there never was any inheritance.
Ryan said his father received an email from a person who claimed to be a lawyer for an unknown “distant relative” and organized to meet him at Minot Airport to sign off on the cash, the New York Post reported.
“He wasn’t suspicious before he went to the airport, but he was convinced he had inherited the money and was going to receive it when the supposed lawyer landed,” Ryan told The Post.
“He planned on getting acres of land, giving me and some of my brothers a chunk. Then opening his own auto shop.
“But the supposed lawyer never showed up. It was a scam. It was a stranger who managed to trick my dad into believing it was true, unfortunately.”
Ryan added Kenoyer also believed Riley, a father of five adult sons, was going to receive the unexpected windfall and it was “her motive” for allegedly killing him.
