Woman poisoned boyfriend's iced tea for $30m inheritance scam

Ina Thea Kenoyer, 48, turned to murder to get cash that never existed

- GAIL SHORTLAND

It was the news that most people could only dream of. Steven Riley had opened an unexpected email from a lawyer and discovered he was in line for a huge $30 million inheritance from a distant relative that he'd never even met.

It was impossible not to imagine how life changing the huge sum of money would be. Steven, 51, had five sons and wanted to share his good fortune with them.

Steven's girlfriend Ina Thea Kenoyer, who lived with him in Minot, North Dakota, was also over the moon when she found out. They had been together for 10 years and Kenoyer was sure she'd benefit from the surprise windfall.

But it seemed the promise of millions of dollars gave Steven the opportunity to think differently about his life, and after receiving the news he confided in his friends that Kenoyer might not be part of his future. Steven told those close to him that he was thinking about leaving his girlfriend and just sharing the money with his sons.

The next step for Steven was to meet with the lawyer involved in the inheritance at a local airport on 3 September, 2023. He didn't tell Kenoyer he wanted to end their relationship but somehow she found out. She decided that if Steven wasn't going to share the money with her, she'd take it all.

Kenoyer had been with Steven for 10 years and believed that would give her common law wife status so she would be entitled to the money when he died. She just needed that to happen.

Almost straightaway, Kenoyer started to spike Steven's iced tea with antifreeze. The key ingredient, ethylene glycol, has a sweet taste so Steven would have consumed the deadly liquid without even realising.