Woman Poisons Boyfriend’s Tea, Believing He Inherited $30M, Only to Find Out It Was a Scam

A 48-year-old woman In The Kenoyer who was charged with poisoning her long time boyfriend, Steven Edward Riley Jr with antifreeze has now entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty.

She could be sentenced for life in prison without any parole. The most tragic part of this episode was that the North Dakota man believed he had inherited $30 million and Thea killed him to get the money.

However, it turned out to be a hoax and it was revealed that there was no such inheritance. 

The Police also recovered a bottle of Windex which on examination was found to contain anti-freeze which was used to poison Steven Edward Riley Jr. A medical examiner later determined that he had died from poisoning.

Ina Thea Kenoyer pleaded guilty on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.of murdering her longtime boyfriend Steven Edward Riley Jr 51, in September

Ina Thea Kenoyer was arrested by the Minot Police Department on October 30, 2023, and she was charged with Class AA felony murder of her 51-year-old boyfriend. Steven Edward Riley Jr became sick and lost consciousness before he was taken by the Emergency Services to a hospital. He never regained consciousness and ultimately died on September 5, 2023.

The police in a press release said that the motive of the murder was financial. The arrest document also revealed that Steven Edward Riley Jr had planned to leave his girlfriend of about a decade.

The Police described the turn of events that led to Riley’s murder. Riley had believed that he had inherited a fortune to the tune of $30 million and was heading towards the airport with his friends to discuss the matter with a lawyer when he complained of stomach pain.

His friends thought he was drunk but an autopsy revealed that he had not consumed alcohol.

His condition deteriorated and he started to vomit and became immobile and unable to walk. However Ina Thea Kenoyer who claimed she had medical training said Riley was suffering from heat stroke and will recover after resting at home. However, his condition deteriorated and he ultimately died in the hospital.

It was revealed by his friends that Kenoyer had previously discussed poisoning her boyfriend with antifreeze and on suspicion the coroner tested for its key ingredient and found toxic levels of ethylene glycol in his system. Later Police recovered a Coors Light bottle and a plastic mug with green liquid matching that of the Windex bottle

On interrogation by Police Kenoyer claimed Riley had been day drinking and had gotten heat stroke. She also floated several theories of symptoms of heat stroke which mimics poisoning and even referred to Google search to buttress her claims. She even claimed that Riley had smoked a cigarette which had fallen in antifreeze solution.

However she broke down when she was told that the state would not recognize her as his common law wife after her claims that she was Riley’s common law wife, and said she planned to split his newfound inheritance with his son. She finally confessed that she had spiked Riley’s tea with antifreeze before his meeting with the lawyer.

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