Woman poisons boyfriend thinking he would inherit ₹252 crore. Then this happens

Ina Thea Kenoyer, 48, poisoned her boyfriend hoping to win his inheritance of $30 million ( ₹252 crore) which he had read about in one of his emails. The catch: the email was fake and she got 25 years in jail instead of the money.

The North Dakota woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of her boyfriend, Steven Edward Riley Jr., who was fatally poisoned in September 2023.

The Crime

Riley, 51, died on September 5, 2023, after Kenoyer laced his sweet tea with ethylene glycol, commonly found in antifreeze. Authorities revealed that she was motivated by a belief that Riley was set to inherit $30 million, a claim later determined to be fraudulent. Detectives have yet to identify the individual who contacted Riley regarding the inheritance.

Court documents state that Kenoyer had been in a relationship with Riley for a decade. On the day of the poisoning, Riley was reportedly planning to meet with a lawyer to discuss the inheritance. After consuming the contaminated tea, he began to exhibit symptoms of illness, which Kenoyer misattributed to heat stroke, refusing medical assistance until it was too late.

Also read: Texas executes man, 61, for brutal 1989 murders of twin teen sisters

Trial and Sentencing

During the trial, friends of the couple testified that Kenoyer had made previous jokes about poisoning Riley. After his death, an autopsy confirmed that ethylene glycol was the cause, contradicting Kenoyer’s claims that Riley had suffered from heat stroke due to excessive drinking—an assertion not supported by toxicology results, which showed no alcohol in his system.

In court, family members expressed their grief and outrage over Kenoyer's actions. Riley’s sister, Stephany Gonzalez, criticized the leniency of the sentence, stating, “To have you take away someone so important… it’s just hurtful.” His son, Ryan Riley, also spoke of the deep emotional impact of his father’s death, calling it a "selfish" act driven by greed.

Also read: Woman poisons husband after keeping Karwa Chauth fast for him

In addition to her prison sentence, Kenoyer has been ordered to pay $3,455 in restitution to Riley's family and will be on supervised probation for ten years after her release. Her case highlights the tragic consequences of deception and betrayal in personal relationships, underscoring the devastating effects of crime motivated by greed.

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