Charges filed in murder-for-hire plot that left Collinsville woman dead
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (First Alert 4) - Three people are facing charges in the shooting death of Portia Rowland.
Rowland, 32, was shot and killed on the morning of Tuesday, January 21. Investigators said she was warming up her car outside her home on Olive Street when she was fatally shot.
On Saturday, the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis announced that three suspects had been arrested.
Monday, Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine announced charges against Sammy J. Shafer, Jr., Gary D. Johnson and Marty Shaw. Charging documents accuse Shafer of hiring Shaw and Johnson for the murder. Shafer is reportedly married to Rowland’s girlfriend.
Shafer is facing two charges of first-degree murder and two counts of solicitation/murder-for-hire. Shaw is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Johnson is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of being in possession of a weapon.
Charging documents accuse Shafer of paying $10,000 for the murder. Johnson is the accused gunman, and Shaw reportedly gave him a ride the day of the murder.
Shaw was allegedly paid $10,000 and gave $6,500 to Johnson after the murder.
When questioned by police, Johnson reportedly itted to walking down an alley after being dropped off near Rowland’s home. He reportedly told police that he waited for Rowland to exit her home. She then walked outside and started her car before heading back inside. When Rowland went back outside, Johnson itted to shooting her, police said.
After the murder, Johnson reportedly changed clothes. Then, Johnson and Shaw went to a casino.
“This was not a random act of violence but rather a calculated and cold-hearted murder-for-hire scheme based on a personal grievance,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine.
As part of a plea agreement, Johnson was sentenced to 40 years in prison on a murder charge stemming from a 1997 killing in St. Clair County. The sentence was cut in half due to Illinois Good Times laws, and he was released from prison in June of 2017.
According to police, Johnson was found to be in possession of a 9mm handgun after Rowland’s shooting death.
Pastor Sharon Autenrieth is officiating Rowland’s funeral on Monday night. She told First Alert 4 that after she sat down with Rowland’s family, she learned how much joy and light she radiated.
“I’ve met with hundreds of families at this point to plan funerals, and I know everyone is precious, but I was not prepared for Portia. I wasn’t prepared for how highly they spoke of her. She seemed like an extraordinary person,” said Pastor Autenrieth.
Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm said that on the day of Rowland’s murder, they made a promise to her dad.
“I promised him the Collinsville police department and major case squad would do everything in their power to hold those responsible for Portia’s senseless death able and bring them to justice. Today, I am extremely proud to say we kept that promise,” he said.
Detectives followed 200 leads, served 30 search warrants and used license plate readers to track the car, and the men believed to be responsible for the murder.
“The grief of how short her life was particularly given the good they felt she put into the world. The positive impact they felt she had. That was cut to 32 years when she could have had so many years of a positive impact in the world,” said Pastor Autenrieth.
Rowland was killed just days before her 33rd birthday. As family and friends mourn her death, they also want to hold onto the legacy she is leaving behind.
“Community grew wherever she went, which I thought was a beautiful testament to someone’s life. If some of her friends and family can try to follow that legacy and be that person who builds community and positivity and brings out the best in other people, that would be an honor to her life,” said Pastor Autenrieth.
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