A North Dakota woman has been arrested and charged with murder after she allegedly killed her boyfriend with antifreeze.
Ina Thea Kenoyer, 47, was arrested earlier this week and charged with Class AA Felony Murder in the poisoning death of Steven Edward Riley Jr., 51, of Minot, North Dakota, the Minot Police Department said in a statement. Riley died on September 5 at a Bismarck hospital, and an autopsy revealed his cause of death was poisoning.
“This case was extremely complex,” Investigations Commander Capt. Dale Plessas said in the statement. “Thank you to everyone who provided us with information that helped our investigators piece this together.”
The New York Times reported that Riley was poisoned by ethylene glycol, the main ingredient in antifreeze. In an affidavit obtained by the outlet, Riley’s loved ones reportedly said Kenoyer had made comments about poisoning him with antifreeze prior to and after his death.
The couple had been together for 10 years, but Riley was reportedly preparing to leave Kenoyer after he received an inheritance of about $30 million.
On September 3, Riley was about to claim his inheritance when he began to feel ill, People Magazine reported. On September 4, emergency workers were called to the couple’s home, and Riley was found unresponsive, the Times reported. He was taken to an emergency room before being transferred to the hospital in Bismarck, where he died the following day.
One of Kenoyer’s friends also told police she saw Kenoyer dispose of Riley’s things outside their home on the day he started feeling sick. This same friend said that Kenoyer was upset because she knew Riley was going to leave her after getting his inheritance.
Kenoyer allegedly told police that Riley had a heat stroke and had been drinking, but the autopsy found no alcohol in his system. Police also reportedly found a bottle of window cleaner in the living room that contained liquid believed to be antifreeze.
After Riley died, Kenoyer told authorities that she should receive some of the $30 million because she was his “common law” wife. She claimed she would split the money with Riley’s son. When authorities told her that North Dakota did not recognize her as a common law wife, she became “incensed,” according to the affidavit.
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“This was an intentional and heinous act. This bond is consistent with people with similar charges,” Ward County State’s Attorney Roza Larson said on Tuesday while seeking a $1 million bond, according to the Minot Daily News. North Central District Court Judge Richard Hagar granted the request.
Kenoyer faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if she’s found guilty.