Wife of Slain Missionary Allegedly Promised Hit Men $50K
Shocking Developments in the Investigation of Missionary Killing
Investigators suspect the wife of a slain missionary in the West African country of Angola was the “mastermind” of his killing and was having an affair with one of the men she hired to kill him. She allegedly promised him thousands of dollars in exchange for slaying her husband.
Jackie and Beau Shroyer / Photo via social media
For three years, Beau and Jackie Shroyer, both 44, and their five children had lived in the “remote bush” of Angola. On October 25, police found Beau Shroyer brutally stabbed to death in his vehicle outside Lubango, where the family resided in a walled compound.
A press statement from the Angolan Press Agency says police began a series of investigations following Jackie Shroyer’s statements at the scene.
A spokesperson for Angola’s Criminal Investigation Service (CIS), Manuel Halaiwa, called Jackie the “mastermind” behind his murder, which CIS discovered was an organized plot involving three men paid to kill the missionary.
Furthermore, Halaiwa added that investigators have “strong suspicions” Jackie was having an affair with one of the men, 24-year-old Bernardino Elias, who the family had employed as a security guard.
“There are strong suspicions of a possible romantic relationship between the person who ordered this act and her accomplice, who was initially a guard hired through a private security company,” Halaiwa said. “After his contract with the company ended, he was taken in by the family because he seemed trustworthy and close to the couple, eventually being hired directly at a different salary to work for them.”
Police identified the other two suspects as Isalino “Vin Diesel” Kayoo, 23, and Gelson Ramos, 22. All of the men have criminal histories that include armed robbery and kidnapping, the statement says.
According to police, Jackie allegedly promised to pay three men around $50,000 to kill her husband. The statement says the three men lured Beau to a remote area by pretending they were having car issues and stabbed him to death. In her statement, Jackie claimed she had stepped into the woods to use the bathroom at the time of the attack.
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At the crime scene, detectives reportedly recovered an American-made knife belonging to the bodyguard. The knife had been a gift to Elias from Beau Shroyer.
Authorities suggest the alleged motive for the crime was driven by Jackie Shroyer’s romantic relationship with Elias and a desire to remain in Angola, where Beau Shroyer was nearing the end of his missions work.
Four days following Beau Shroyer’s death, police arrested Jackie Shroyer and Elias. The following week, investigators apprehended alleged accomplice “Vin Diesel” Kayoo as he was preparing to cross the Angola-Namibia border, the statement says.
CIS says Jackie Shroyer was conspicuously absent from Lubango during the suspects’ presentation, reportedly due to “health reasons.”
The third suspect, Gelson Ramos, remains on the run.
Beau and Jackie Shroyer have been longtime members of the Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes, Michigan. In 2021, the couple moved to a remote Angolan village with their five children to conduct youth outreach with the evangelical mission organization SIM USA.
Lakes Area Vineyard released an official statement following the news of Beau’s murder. On November 1, Vineyard’s lead pastor, Troy Easton, updated the statement to include news of Jackie Shroyer’s arrest.
“Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I’m going to ask you to sit down, take a deep breath and remember that God is our ever present help in times of trouble,” the statement says.
“As you all know, our community has been deeply saddened by the death of our dear brother and friend Beau Shroyer, who was killed in a violent, criminal attack in Angola, Africa on Friday, October 25. Today, our grief and sadness has deepened immeasurably as we’ve learned that his wife, Jackie Shroyer, has been arrested in connection with his death. ”
SIM USA also released a statement to the same effect.
Organizers have set up a GoFundMe campaign to assist family members with incurred costs. The funds will go toward “bringing Beau home, laying him to rest with dignity, and supporting the pursuit of justice on his behalf,” the page reads. The campaign, which runs through November 30, has gathered nearly $7,000 at the time of this publication.
Based on a judge’s order, CIS has placed Jackie Shroyer and the two captured suspects in preventive detention.
Halaiwa said the American embassy is monitoring the process and is in contact with family members.
Pastor Easton said the five Shroyer children are being cared for.
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