North Dakota woman to serve 25 years in prison for fatally poisoning her boyfriend

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota woman will serve 25 years in prison for the poisoning death of her boyfriend, who authorities say believed was about to receive a large inheritance and planned to break up with her.

Ina Thea Kenoyer was charged with murder in October 2023 for the death of 51-year-old Steven Riley Jr. Riley was hospitalized and died on September 5, 2023, after falling ill and losing consciousness, according to court documents.

An autopsy revealed he died of ethylene glycol poisoning, according to a Minot police officer’s affidavit. Ethylene glycol is used in antifreeze.

Kenoyer pleaded guilty in May. State District Judge Richard Hagar on Wednesday accepted the attorneys’ joint recommendation of 50 years in prison — for Kenoyer who will serve 25 years, with 25 years suspended — along with 10 years of supervised probation and $3,455. compensation paid to Riley’s family, The Minot Daily News reported.

She faced life in prison without parole for the charge.

Riley’s friends and family contacted Minot police with concerns that Kenoyer had poisoned him with antifreeze, according to the affidavit. His friends told investigators that his health deteriorated rapidly at the airport, where he went to meet a lawyer to finalize the inheritance transaction, the officer wrote.

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

North Dakota does not recognize common-law marriages. Investigators doubted the existence of the inheritance, according to the newspaper.