A North Dakota woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison for poisoning her boyfriend, believing he had inherited $30 million and was planning to break up with him, authorities announced.
Ina Thea Kenoyer, 48, was found guilty of killing Stephen Riley Jr., 51, who died last year from ethylene glycol poisoning, the same toxin found in antifreeze.
Riley's sister, Stephanie Gonzalez, said in a Minot courtroom that Kenoyer was lucky to receive such a lenient sentence. KXMB reported.
“As many other victims' families often feel, the punishment should fit the crime,” Gonzalez told his brother's killer. “But fortunately, the Department of Corrections doesn't put antifreeze in iced tea.”
State District Judge Richard Hager sentenced Kenoyer, who pleaded guilty in May, to 25 years in prison last Wednesday, plus 10 years of supervised probation and $3,455 in restitution to Riley's family, according to court documents. handed down a judgment.
However, in a tragic twist, there may not have been an inheritance in the first place.
Officials said Mr. Kenoyer poisoned Mr. Reilly just hours after learning from an email he received that he was to inherit $30 million.
However, the victim's 21-year-old son, Ryan Riley, told the Post that the couple unknowingly fell victim to an online scam that left them without any money.
During a meeting with the so-called estate lawyer on September 3, 2023, Riley became unwell, and when paramedics arrived at her home the next day, they found her unresponsive. He was pronounced dead on September 5th.
According to the affidavit, Kenoyer told police that Riley had been drinking all day and suffering from heat stroke in the days leading up to her death.
She told police she planned to split Riley's $30 million inheritance with her son, arguing that as Riley's common-law wife she was entitled to a portion of it. However, North Dakota does not recognize such a relationship.
The case was one of several in the United States at the time involving spouses accused of poisoning their partners.
The same month as the Riley incident, Dr. Connor Bowman, a renowned toxicology expert and former Mayo Clinic physician, was charged with poisoning his wife during a period of marital difficulties.
He allegedly tried to immediately cremate her body, intending to cash out his $500,000 life insurance policy.
Five months before these incidents, Utah mother Cori Richens was accused of sneaking a deadly fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule to her husband the day before they cashed in on the $2 million mansion she planned to flip. Ta.
