The investigation is still ongoing, cops said. (Representative Pic)
A 47-year-old woman in the United States has been accused of fatally poisoning her boyfriend after learning about his plan to break up with her after he received a large inheritance. According to the New York Post, the woman, identified as Ina Thea Kenoyer, is accused of using antifreeze to kill 51-year-old Steven Edward Riley Jr. She was charged on Monday with a class AA felony murder, which is the most severe murder charge in North Dakota. The cops said that she was driven by "financial motives".
"Police believe that Riley's girlfriend, 47-year-old, Ina Thea Kenoyer, Minot, had financial motives to murder Riley. Kenoyer is charged with Class AA Felony Murder and is being held at the Ward County Jail," Minot Police Department said on Facebook.
"This case was extremely complex," said investigations commander Captain Dale Plessas of the Minot Police Department, as per the post.
According to the Post, Mr Riley became ill when he met with his lawyer in September to collect the massive inheritance sum. Ms Kenoyer called the cops the next day, and paramedics found Mr Riley unresponsive. The 51-year-old was initially taken to a local medical facility before being transferred to a Bismarck hospital where he died on September 5.
An autopsy report later determined that Mr Riley was killed after ingesting antifreeze, which police allege Ms Kenoyer fed him. "Investigators said they found a glass cleaner bottle without a cap, as well as a beer bottle and mug, containing suspected antifreeze, in the couple's residence," as per Fox News.
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Mr Kenoyer, however, proclaimed her innocence in a series of Facebook posts in the days leading up to her arrest, claiming that Mr Riley had killed himself. "To the Shafer that almost hit me, that's not married hello hunny I wish I was looking for someone but no I'm a one-man woman, kind person, and Steve Riley the only man I ever wanted," she said in a post three days before she was charged with murder.
Speaking to investigators, the 47-year-old said that she planned to split Mr Riley's inheritance, which she estimated to be around $30 million, with his son. She claimed she was entitled to the fortune as his common-law wife. However, according to the Post, North Dakota does not recognise such relationships. Additionally, Mr Riley had revealed plans to break off the romance shortly after receiving the massive sum, leading investigators to theorize she poisoned him to secure the inheritance.
Now, Ms Kenoyer is being held without bond at the Ward County Detention Center and is representing herself. The investigation is still ongoing, cops said.