Responders rushing to help a North Dakota man couldn’t save him after his condition only worsened in a Bismarck intensive care unit. And though his deadly symptoms seemed to suggest nothing more than severe heat stroke, an autopsy revealed he’d received a lethal dose of ethylene glycol — a toxic ingredient found in antifreeze.

As detailed in Snapped — airing Sundays at 7/6c on Oxygen — Steven’s friends and acquaintances told investigators they thought something was off about Riley’s girlfriend, Ina Kenoyer’s, behavior in the days leading up to the death of 51-year-old. When police finally confronted Kenoyer with an abundance of circumstantial evidence, she “went ballistic” over the accusation.

The death of Steven Riley

Originally from California, Steven Riley had moved with Ina Kenoyer to Minot, North Dakota to start a new life together. The pair had formed a seemingly airtight bond after meeting at a homeless shelter and helped each other emerge from earlier troubled times in their lives.

In September 2023, Riley, who had five children from two previous marriages, began showing signs of illness. One day, a weakened Steven had to be helped home by friends after going to the airport to meet with an attorney — a mysterious figure who, as it turned out, never did arrive. Ina took charge of Riley’s care back at home, maintaining that he didn’t need to see a doctor or visit the hospital; he just needed a little rest.

Within days, first responders were called to Steven’s house, where they found him unconscious on the floor. He died at a Bismarck hospital the following morning.

“[Kenoyer] made sure that the victim was not going to get emergency medical help until it was too late,” said Minot Police det. Erin Bonney, who took part in the investigation. “I believe she was aware that if she secretly administered some antifreeze in his sweet tea, that he would be gone, and she would be the one who would collect the money, ultimately, at the end.”

A scam inheritance

“The money,” as investigators learned, was an inheritance Steven had hoped to receive after someone claiming to be an attorney emailed him with information about a $17 million windfall; a surprise family fortune that a relative, the attorney claimed, had left for him. 

“Everybody that hears that story says, ‘Oh, that’s a scam; that’s a scam,’” said Minot police lieutenant Darren Dyke. “But to Steven and Ina, it was 100% true.”

As Steven’s ill-fated airport meeting proved just before his death, the offer of money was indeed phony. But Steven and Ina each appeared to take it seriously — so seriously, in fact, that Steven viewed it as a way to gracefully end his deteriorating relationship with Ina, who, unbeknownst to Steven, seemed to have her own ambitions to claim the money for herself. 

“I feel Ina overheard things that Steven had said… and it got the best of her,” said neighbor Rebecca Mello, who shared information about the couple’s recent history with police. “She was very resentful of the thought of him having that money, leaving her, and her having nothing. And she thought those things she overheard were going to take place — so she would get that money before anyone else.”

A pre-trial twist: Ina Kenoyer pleads guilty to murder

Investigators knew that their evidence against Ina Kenoyer was circumstantial and that a jury would need to be persuaded beyond a reasonable doubt that she had intentionally poisoned her boyfriend with antifreeze. They discovered abundant evidence that such a crime could have taken place inside the couple’s house, where gallon-sized bottles of the fluid were found inside the garage, with more found in open bottles of beer, in repurposed household cleaning bottles, and in drinking glasses. However, there wasn’t enough evidence to confirm that Kenoyer herself had put the antifreeze in the items collected.

Hoping for an early confession, investigators questioned Kenoyer only after they’d spoken with all the other witnesses in the case. “I wanted to wait until the end, after we talked to everyone else, because I wanted to see what she had to say,” Bonney said.

But Kenoyer “went ballistic” after being presented with evidence that she had denied Steven any opportunity to seek medical help and then lied about it, said Minot Police Det. Bill DeNovio. 

“There was just kind of an explosion of anger,” added Bonney. “And I think that was really the moment when the suspect realized that they had been caught.”

Though Kenoyer initially requested an attorney and was not charged with a crime due to lack of evidence, investigators finally obtained an arrest warrant to charge her with Steven’s murder. With her case nearing trial in early 2024, Kenoyer surprised prosecutors and avoided a trial by entering a guilty plea.

“Lucky for her that the department of corrections doesn’t serve antifreeze in their iced tea,” said Steven’s sister Stephanie Gonzalez, who, along with Ryan, Steven’s son, found bittersweet justice in Kenoyer’s 25-year prison sentence. 

“We weren’t happy to hear that it was 25 [years] with probation,” said Ryan. “I believe my dad’s legacy was wanting to be a type of man to always be there to make everyone happy and just kind of live in the moment. I think I’m done grieving finally. I’m able to accept new beginnings and carry on with my dad’s legacy.”

Ina Kenoyer is currently serving her time at the Dakota Women’s Correctional Facility and Rehabilitation Center. Her estimated release date is January 27, 2045.