Woman spiked boyfriend's drink in $30 million inheritance scam but ended up with nothing after truth emerged
A woman who fatally spiked her boyfriend's drink in an inheritance scam ended up with nothing after making a series of key mistakes.
People would often do anything for an eye-watering amount of money, but when Steven Riley received an email from a lawyer revealing that a big inheritance was headed his way, his world was turned upside down.
He was told that he was about to receive a massive $30 million inheritance (£23.8 million) from a distant relative he'd never heard of, and Riley was excited to share his winnings with his five sons.
The 51-year-old's girlfriend of 10 years, Ina Thea Kenoyer, was also just as excited.
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However, the news wasn't all good for Kenoyer, 48. One of the couple's friends Theresa Akin told police Kenoyer was angry because she thought Riley 'was going to get his inheritance and leave her', CBS reports.
As they were together for 10 years, Kenoyer assumed that it would mean that she'd have common law wife status if he died - so decided to kill him and take the inheritance for herself.
Upon finding this out, Kenoyer decided to spike her boyfriend's iced tea with antifreeze.
On 3 September last year, the day that he was scheduled to meet the lawyer at a nearby airport and receive the money, Riley headed there with his girlfriend and some friends, but started get some stomach pains.
The health issues progressed, as the American displayed signs of being drunk, struggling to walk and then throwing up.
Kenoyer claimed the symptoms were heatstroke and said Riley 'just needed to go home and rest'.
Ultimately, the lawyer never turned up, with the $30 million inheritance all being part of a scam.
Later that day, his friend went looking for him, as they were not being able to find a record of him checking into a hospital or emergency room, despite Kenoyer saying he had done so.
Returning to Riley's home, he was then found, not moving, and despite being rushed to hospital by paramedics, he died on 5 September.
When speaking to police about the inheritance, Kenoyer said that she should keep her share, and give the rest to her late partner's sons, but it was then that she found up that North Dakota law doesn't recognise common law marriages, so she would be getting none of the money.
The authorities were suspicious about her angry and upset display of feelings.
Kenoyer had claimed Riley had been drinking a significant amount, but an autopsy would reveal that there was no alcohol in his system, and found that he had died of ethylene glycol poisoning.
That wasn't all though, as a Windex bottle with antifreeze, as well as a beer bottle and plastic mug containing antifreeze, were found in the home's garage soon after.
Their investigation also found that Riley's partner had also made comments about him being poisoned with antifreeze shortly before his death, before the autopsy suggested this was the case.
Despite denying any wrongdoing, suggesting that he dropped a cigarette on antifreeze before smoking it, Kenoyer was arrested on 30 October, as the Minot Police Department said that she had 'financial motives to murder Riley', according to NBC News.
She would eventually admit that she was making her boyfriend iced tea with antifreeze, as she pleaded guilty to felony murder in May this year and was sentenced in October to 25 years behind bars.
Kenoyer was also ordered by law to pay Steven's family $3,455 for her actions.
Joshua Nair