Gunman in alleged Collinsville murder-for-hire scheme is sentenced to prison
The gunman in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme has been sentenced to life in prison.
Gary D. Johnson, 46, of Cahokia Heights, received a mandatory life sentence for fatally shooting Portia Rowland, 32, last year because of a prior murder conviction in St. Clair County.
The shooting happened outside of Rowland’s Collinsville home as she was leaving for work around 6 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Sammy J. Shafer Jr., 37, hired Johnson to kill her for $10,000 after Shafer’s estranged wife left him for Rowland, according to information Madison County Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Maricle previously provided the court.
Associate Judge Neil Schroeder handed down Johnson’s sentence on Thursday morning after finding him guilty of first-degree murder in a March bench trial.
Also charged in the case is Shafer and Marty D. Shaw, 34, of Collinsville. Shaw is Johnson’s cousin and Shafer’s employee at his excavating company. Shaw is accused of driving the getaway car in the shooting.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine charged all three men with first-degree murder, Shafer with solicitation of murder for hire and Johnson with possession of a weapon by a felon.
Public Defender Mary Copeland had argued that Johnson was in a desperate situation when Shaw and Shafer allegedly approached him. Because of his past murder conviction, she said he struggled to find decent employment or housing, and his family had just been served an eviction notice.
“They were absolutely faced with being on the street, Gary and his children and his fiancee,” Copeland told the court. “Sammy Schafer and Marty Shaw preyed on that desperation, and this simply would not have happened if they had not set this plan into motion and enticed a very desperate man to do the dirty work.”
Copeland asked Schroeder to find the state law on mandatory sentencing unconstitutional, which the judge declined to do.
She contended that mandatory life sentences remove discretion from the court and violate a defendant’s rights to due process and to be free of cruel and unusual punishment. The law wouldn’t allow Schroeder to consider factors such as Johnson’s childhood mental and physical abuse or his intention to testify against Shafer, according to Copeland.
After the hearing, Haine said he thinks a mandatory life sentence “makes all the sense in the world” in this case.
“If anyone has any question about why we have prisons, all they need to do is look at Gary Johnson,” Haine told reporters outside the Criminal Justice Center. “… This is the second time he’s been convicted of murder in his short life. This is an individual who needs to be at the very least in prison for the rest of his life.”
Rowland was a 2010 graduate of Collinsville High School who enjoyed playing sports and working with her hands, according to her obituary. She was a mechanic for the Metropolitan Sewer District in St. Louis.
Rowland’s stepfather Bob Mueller read a statement in court on Thursday about the impact her death has had on her family.
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“Portia cared deeply for people and made a huge difference in the lives of many,” he said. “... She lived in stark contrast to this wretch and the other two wretches involved in this, who all embody exactly opposite values.
“They conspired, planned and acted to assassinate Portia, extinguishing a beautiful life full of promise and destroying her family and friends in the process.”
Johnson’s case was prosecuted by Maricle and Assistant State’s Attorney Luke Yager.
Cases for Shafer and Shaw remain pending. Shafer’s trial has been scheduled for January 2027. A trial date has not yet been set for Shaw.
Johnson will pursue an appeal, according to Copeland.
BND reporter Teri Maddox and visual journalist Joshua Carter contributed information to this report.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 12:25 PM.
