A man accused of putting out a $10,000 contract to have a
Collinsville woman killed may find it difficult to fulfil his own contract with
the city of Springfield – to raze 38 dilapidated houses.
Sammy J. Shafer Jr. owns S. Shafer Excavating, a company based in Pontoon Beach that does work throughout the Metro East and central
Illinois. Last fall, the Springfield City Council approved the company’s bid to
demolish 38 blighted houses throughout the city.
So far, Shafer’s company has torn down 37 houses, but the contract
also requires him to grade each vacant lot after the ground thaws and level a
38th home once the natural gas lines are disconnected, Public Works
Director David Fuchs said. The city’s contract calls for paying him $692,000,
but with Shafer now in the Madison County Jail awaiting trial it remains
unclear whether he will be able to fulfill the contract.
Fuchs, who learned of the arrest Tuesday, said it has not yet
been determined how the remaining work will be completed or whether a portion
of the contract will be paid.
Shafer, 36, is accused
of paying $10,000 to have Portia Rowland, 32, killed. Authorities did not
reveal a possible motive for the homicide but KSDK TV has reported Rowland was in
a relationship with Shafer’s estranged wife.
Madison County State’s
Attorney Tom Haine announced Jan. 27 that Shafer and two other defendants have
been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death.
Rowland was shot multiple times by a gunman who approached her outside
her Collinsville residence on the morning of Jan. 21.
“We believe the evidence at trial will show that this was not a random
crime but was a calculated and cold-hearted murder-for-hire scheme based on a
personal grievance,” Haine said in a prepared statement.
Shafer is charged with first-degree murder and solicitation of murder.
Gary D. Johnson, 45, of East St. Louis is charged with first-degree murder
and possession of a weapon by a felon. The charges allege that Johnson shot
Rowland. Johnson was previously convicted of murder in a 1997 case.
Marty D. Shaw, 33, of Collinsville is charged with first-degree murder.
According to court documents filed by Haine’s office, Shafer paid Shaw,
one of his employees, $10,000 to kill Rowland. Shaw admitted driving his
cousin, Johnson, to the victim’s house where Johnson allegedly shot her. KSDK
TV reported that investigators believe after the shooting, Shaw kept $3,500 and
gave $6,500 to Johnson and both men then went to a nearby casino.
The state’s attorney is arguing the defendants pose a threat to others
and should remain in custody while awaiting trial.
This article appears in Healthy, wealthy and wise 2025.
