High-profile attorney represents man charged in Collinsville murder-for-hire case
Editor’s note: This story was updated Wednesday morning to report that defendant Gary Johnson has waived his right to a detention hearing.
A Caseyville businessman accused of hiring a hitman to kill his estranged wife’s girlfriend had his first appearance before a Madison County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday.
Sammy J. Shafer Jr., 36, was escorted into a courtroom wearing a black-and-white-striped jail uniform and chains on his wrists and ankles.
Twice, he glanced back at his parents, Sammy J. Shafer Sr. and Tammy Shafer, who were solemnly sitting on the front row of the spectator’s section, but they didn’t exchange words.
“He’s the best son you could ever imagine,” Shafer Sr. told a BND reporter as the couple were leaving the parking lot of the Madison County Criminal Justice Center in Edwardsville.
“He goes to church every Sunday,” Shafer Sr. added.
Shafer Jr. allegedly hired a hitman to shoot and kill Portia Rowland, 32, early on the morning of Jan. 21 outside a small brick home at 1301 Olive St. in Collinsville, where she lived with his estranged wife, Sarah Shafer.
Shafer Jr. and Sarah Shafer have been in divorce proceedings since August 2023 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
The Madison County state’s attorney’s office charged Shafer Jr. on Monday morning with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of solicitation of murder for hire.
Shafer Jr.’s family hired St. Louis attorney Scott Rosenblum to defend him. Rosenblum has represented such high-profile clients as former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk, rapper Nelly, former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and Anheuser-Busch heir Billy Busch.
“I know we’re going to plead not guilty,” Rosenblum said before Shafer Jr.’s first appearance on Tuesday afternoon. “We‘re looking forward to challenging the evidence.”
When asked about Shafer Jr. and his family, Rosenblum said, “They’re shook up. The family is, definitely, obviously.”
Detention hearing next week
In court, Rosenblum asked to postpone Shafer Jr.’s detention hearing, where a judge will determine whether he will remain held in Madison County Jail while the case proceeds. The hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.
After Tuesday’s first appearance, Rosenblum told a group of news reporters that he’s “realistic” in knowing that a judge may not release Shafer Jr. due to the nature of the charges.
Collinsville Police Department called in the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis to do the initial investigation on Rowland’s murder. That resulted in the arrest of Shafer Jr. and two other suspects.
One is Gary D. Johnson, 45, of East St. Louis, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing Rowland and one count of possession of a weapon by a felon. On Tuesday afternoon, he waived his right to a detention hearing.
A third suspect, Marty D. Shaw, 33, of Collinsville, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly being an accomplice who drove the getaway car. He’s being held in Missouri, so he will have to be extradited before appearing in an Illinois courtroom.
“We believe the evidence at trial will show that this was not a random act of violence, but rather this was a calculated and cold-hearted murder-for-hire scheme based on a personal grievance,” State’s Attorney Tom Haine said at a press conference Monday at Collinsville City Hall.
Investigators followed more than 200 leads and executed more than 30 search warrants, according to Collinsville Lt. Eric Owen, who served as deputy commander during the investigation.
Owen said investigators used license-plate readers to track a suspect vehicle, leading them to a Missouri address, where they took Shaw into custody last week with the help of St. Louis County Police. Prosecutors kept charges against him under seal for several days.
Investigators arrested Johnson on Friday in Cahokia Heights and Shafer on Saturday in Caseyville. The state’s attorney’s office has filed petitions asking that pretrial releases be denied.
“We have argued that (the suspects) pose a continuing threat to public safety should they remain on the streets, and we intend to make that argument before the judge,” Haine said at the press conference.
Couple had three children
Sarah Shafer, 34, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week that she was living with Rowland and planning to marry her, and that they were preparing their Collinsville home so Shafer’s three children could move in.
Shafer Jr. had filed for divorce from Sarah Shafer in August 2023 after nearly 10 years of marriage, according to St. Clair County Circuit Court records. That case remains open. Negotiations included parenting issues related to the couple’s three minor children, ages 7-14.
Their last divorce-related hearing was held on Jan. 14. Another one was scheduled for Feb. 25.
Sarah Shafer obtained a three-week emergency order of protection against Shafer Jr. in April 2024. It later was dismissed.
In her request for the order, Sarah Shafer alleged that Shafer Jr. pinned her down, made unwanted sexual advances, took her vehicle keys, removed a fuse so the vehicle wouldn’t start and smashed her cellphone.
“He called and said if I won’t be with him he’s going to do anything in his power to keep the kids away from me,” stated the request, which listed Sarah Shafer’s address at the Olive Street home.
Shafer Jr. is a well-known businessman who operates S. Shafer Excavating in Pontoon Beach with his father.
Illinois Secretary of State records show that Shafer Jr. also is president of several other businesses, including a trucking company and Caseyville Bridge Inn, a bar on Main Street.
Collinsville police responded shortly after 6 a.m. Jan. 21 to a report of gunshots heard in the vicinity of Olive Street and Indiana Avenue. They found Rowland, who had been shot multiple times, lying near the garage of 1301 Olive St. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sarah Shafer told the Post-Dispatch that she was sleeping in the home when police knocked on the door and told her what happened.
The Major Case Squad deployed about 30 investigators after being called in on the investigation. By Wednesday afternoon, they had released an image of a suspect from a security camera.
Rowland’s obituary stated that she was a 2010 graduate of Collinsville High School. She worked as a mechanic for Metropolitan Sewer District in St. Louis.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 5:13 PM.
