Portia Rowland, a 32-year-old woman from Collinsville, Illinois, was fatally shot on the morning of January 21, 2025, in what authorities have described as a murder-for-hire plot. The incident occurred around 6 a.m. while Rowland was warming up her car in the driveway of her home on Olive Street. A gunman approached her and fired multiple shots before fleeing the scene.
Rowland was pronounced dead at the location.
Following an intensive investigation led by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, law enforcement officials arrested three suspects in connection with Rowland’s death. The suspects were identified as Gary D. Johnson, 45, Marty D. Shaw, 33, and Sammy J. Shafer Jr., 36. Johnson was named as the shooter, while Shaw was accused of driving Johnson to and from the crime scene. Shafer Jr., the husband of Rowland’s girlfriend, was charged with soliciting the murder-for-hire. Authorities revealed that Shafer Jr. had allegedly orchestrated the killing due to his ongoing divorce and personal conflicts with Rowland.
All three suspects were charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Johnson, who had previously been convicted of murder in 1997 and sentenced to 40 years in prison, received an additional charge of felon in possession of a weapon. Shafer Jr. was also charged with two counts of solicitation of murder-for-hire. The suspects were arrested over the weekend following the shooting, with Johnson and Shaw taken into custody in Illinois, while Shafer Jr. was apprehended in Missouri. He is currently awaiting extradition to Madison County.
Investigators credited their diligent work and the use of license plate readers in tracking the suspected shooter’s vehicle back to Missouri. Over the course of five days, 30 investigators pursued more than 200 leads, ultimately leading to the arrests. Authorities have filed petitions to deny release for all three suspects while they await trial. Their first court appearances were scheduled for the following Tuesday.
Rowland’s tragic death has deeply affected her community, particularly those who knew her through local pool leagues. Friends and acquaintances described her as a positive and vibrant individual who always had a smile on her face. A memorial has been set up outside her home, and her funeral services were held at the Irwin Funeral Home in Glen Carbon, Illinois. Authorities have declined to discuss a possible motive in detail but acknowledged that Rowland had a relationship with Shafer Jr.’s wife.
