MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota woman will serve 25 years in prison for the poisoning death of her boyfriend, who authorities say believed he was about to come into a large inheritance and had planned to break up with her.
Ina Thea Kenoyer was charged with murder in October 2023 for the death of 51-year-old Steven Riley Jr. Riley was hospitalized and died Sept. 5, 2023, after falling ill and losing consciousness, according to court documents.
An autopsy found he died from ethylene glycol poisoning, according to a Minot police officer's affidavit. Ethylene glycol is used in antifreeze.
Kenoyer pleaded guilty in May. State District Judge Richard Hagar on Wednesday accepted attorneys' joint sentencing recommendation of 50 years in prison — for Kenoyer to serve 25 years, with 25 years suspended — along with 10 years of supervised probation and $3,455 in restitution paid to Riley's family, The Minot Daily News reported.
She faced up to life in prison without parole on the charge.
Riley's friends and family contacted Minot police with concerns that Kenoyer had poisoned him with antifreeze, according to the affidavit. His friends told investigators his health rapidly declined at the airport, where he went to meet a lawyer to complete the inheritance transaction, the officer wrote.
Authorities said Kenoyer claimed Riley had been drinking alcohol all day and suffered heat stroke in the days before his death. Kenoyer knew of the inheritance, which she thought was over $30 million and felt she was due a portion of as Riley's common-law wife, according to the affidavit.
North Dakota does not recognize common-law marriages. Investigators doubted the inheritance existed, according to the newspaper.
Defendant Ina Thea Kenoyer exits the courtroom with her attorney, Tyler Morrow, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Minot, N.D. (Charles Crane/Minot Daily News via AP)
East Carolina (3-3, 1-1 AAC) at No. 23 Army (6-0, 5-0), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN2)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Army by 15 1/2.
Series record: East Carolina leads 8-0.
Army, ranked for the first time since September 2020, puts its nation-leading 10-game winning streak on the line. The undefeated Black Knights have won their first five American Athletic Conference games in their inaugural season in the league. An Army win would increase its chances to reach the AAC championship with two conference games left against North Texas (Nov. 9) and UTSA (Nov. 30). East Carolina has lost three of four since a 2-0 start and is coming off 55-24 loss at in-state foe Charlotte before entering an open date.
Army’s top-ranked rushing attack has yet to be slowed down. Quarterback Bryson Daily has operated the Black Knights’ under-center option to near perfection. leading them to an average of 369.8 rushing yards per game. Can East Carolina contain Daily, who has scored nine rushing touchdowns in his last three games? East Carolina’s No. 76-ranked run defense has allowed 148.5 per game and nine rushing touchdowns, and coming off an outing in which it allowed 311 yards rushing.
ECU: RB Rahjai Harris. The graduate senior leads the team with 397 yards on 100 carries, while no other player has more than 40 rushing attempts. Harris has three touchdowns this year.
Army: RB Kanye Udoh has come on strong in his last three games, running for 362 yards and four touchdowns. With defenses having to focus on Daily, Udoh is poised for his third 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Army is the nation's only team to score a touchdown on its opening drive in every game this season. ... The Black Knights and Indiana are the nation's two FBS teams yet to trail in a game. ... Army has defeated its first five AAC opponents by an average of 26.8 points. ... ECU has won all eight meetings in the series history, though the teams haven’t met in 20 years. ECU won the first meeting at Army in November 1995, then took a 38-28 win at home in October 2004 in the most recent meeting. … The Pirates have lost 13 of 18 games going back to the start of the 2023 season, including going 2-8 against AAC competition.
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FILE - The Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights line up for the snap at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of an NCAA football game at Gillette Stadium Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)
FILE - Army Black Knights's Bryson Daily runs against the Navy Midshipmen during the first quarter of an NCAA football game at Gillette Stadium Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)
