Fact check: A woman allegedly poisoned her husband after he received an email claiming he had inherited $30 million.

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 79/100

The Instagram post accurately reports on the case of Ina Thea Kenoyer, who poisoned her boyfriend, Steven Edward Riley Jr., believing she would inherit $30 million from a scam email he received. The inheritance was indeed a hoax, and Kenoyer was charged with murder and sentenced to prison. This information is confirmed by 4 sources.

Platform
instagram
Source author
menrejects — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DbA8KLok2S7/?igsh=YWVhd3Boc3pmZ29k
Verified on
July 22, 2026
Verification ID
TKEMaIaDx2sNPYgrgab7pQ

Original content reviewed

Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @menrejects --- Caption/Description --- Everyone thought she was about to become a millionaire. Instead, prosecutors say she allegedly destroyed her own life over a fortune that never even existed. According to investigators, the woman allegedly poisoned her husband after he received what appeared to be an email claiming he had inherited $30 million. Believing the massive inheritance was real, prosecutors say she expected to receive the money after his death. But the shocking twist was that the inheritance email itself was allegedly a scam, meaning there was never any fortune to claim in the first place. Rather than ending with unimaginable wealth, the case ended with criminal charges and a reminder that greed, combined with deception, can have devastating consequences. Save this for the next time someone says scam emails are harmless, and share it with someone who won’t believe this actually happened. --- Carousel/Slides (2 items) --- Slide 1 (image): Text: Y POLICE DEPT. 7 6 2 1 COUNTY FAIR FA CANDY MEN REJECTS WOMAN POISONED HUSBAND TO RECEIVE A $30M INHERITANCE THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A SCAM EMAIL THAT HE RECEIVED Slide 2 (image): Text: 2 1 Published: 2026-07-20T12:28:01.000Z ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @menrejects --- Caption/Description --- Everyone thought she was about to become a millionaire. Instead, prosecutors say she allegedly destroyed her own life over a fortune that never even existed. According to investigators, the woman allegedly poisoned her husband after he received what appeared to be an email claiming he had inherited $30 million. Believing the massive inheritance was real, prosecutors say she expected to receive the money after his death. But the shocking twist was that the inheritance email itself was allegedly a scam, meaning there was never any fortune to claim in the first place. Rather than ending with unimaginable wealth, the case ended with criminal charges and a reminde

Claims analyzed (4)

  1. verified: A woman allegedly poisoned her husband after he received an email claiming he had inherited $30 million.
    News reports confirm that Ina Thea Kenoyer poisoned her boyfriend, Steven Edward Riley Jr., after he received an email about a $30 million inheritance.
  2. mostly true: Prosecutors allege the woman expected to receive the inheritance money after her husband's death.
    Investigators determined Kenoyer poisoned Riley to collect a share of his inheritance after his death, believing their 10-year relationship qualified her as his common-law wife.
  3. verified: Investigators claim the inheritance email itself was a scam, meaning no fortune existed.
    News reports confirm that the $30 million inheritance was a scam and did not exist.
  4. verified: The case resulted in criminal charges against the woman.
    Ina Thea Kenoyer was charged with felony murder and later sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Sources consulted (6)

Related verifications

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