Posted on 08/26/2026 8:39:23 AM PDT by V_TWIN
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jury deliberations started Wednesday morning in the murder-for-hire trial of Mario Fernandez-Saldana. He’s accused of hiring alleged hitman Henry Tenon to kill Jared Bridegan in 2022.
Mario Fernandez Saldana, Gardner’s estranged husband, was arrested in 2023 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, child abuse, and solicitation to commit capital felony. He’s accused of hiring Henry Tenon to kill Bridegan.
In July 2026, two of the charges Fernandez Saldana was facing, child abuse and conspiracy to commit murder, were dropped. He has pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges he’s facing. His trial begins Aug. 10, 2026 with jury selection.
Closing arguments concluded Tuesday. Bridegan was the former husband of Fernandez-Saldana’s estranged wife, Shana Gardner.
The defense team argued that there is no physical evidence connecting Fernandez-Saldana to the crime. The lead defense attorney highlighted the lack of DNA evidence and stated that Fernandez-Saldana never said he wanted Bridegan to die or be killed.
Jared Bridegan, a St. Johns County father of four, was gunned down Feb. 16, 2022, in Jacksonville Beach. He had just taken his twins, Abby and Liam, whom he shared with ex-wife Shanna Gardner, and his then-2-year-old Bexley, his daughter with wife Kirsten Bridegan, to dinner.
The software engineer had just dropped off the twins at Gardner’s house when he encountered a tire on Sanctuary Boulevard, a one-way road in Jacksonville Beach. He was headed home to his second wife, Kirsten Bridegan, with whom he shared children Bexley and London.
Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said “Tragically he began to exit his vehicle to move the tire and he was gunned down in cold blood,” Smith said. Bridegan was shot several times while Bexley was still strapped into a car seat in the back seat of Bridegan’s car.
(Excerpt) Read more at actionnewsjax.com ...
Ping!
Lifestyles of the rich and infamous!..............
Been watching a lot of the case on court tv. The ex-wife, Shana Gardner’s family is worth $50 mil.
That explains how she can afford that high end attorney Jose Baez that got Casey Anthony off the hook for killing her kid.
Life in prison or the death penalty....have fun!
The killer was renting a house from Fernandez Saldana, about to be evicted because he didn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.
It doesn’t take much to put together Fernandez Saldana enlisted the killer to do the murder for money and a continued place to live.
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