JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of arranging the fatal ambush of a Microsoft design manager is set to stand trial Monday in Florida. The trial comes more than four years after Jared Bridegan, 33, was shot multiple times outside his vehicle in February 2022, with his 2-year-old child present in a car seat.
Investigators allege that a tire was deliberately placed in the road to distract and stop Bridegan’s vehicle in Jacksonville Beach. The incident is being prosecuted as a murder-for-hire scheme involving the victim’s ex-wife and her current husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38. Fernandez Saldana faces charges of first-degree murder in Duval County court.
Bridegan’s former wife, Shanna Gardner, 39, is also facing murder charges. Her trial is scheduled to commence in September. The couple divorced in 2015, and their subsequent years were marked by significant conflict over the custody of their two children. Court documents reveal that Gardner harbored intense animosity towards Bridegan, stemming from their shared custody arrangement. Judge London Kite summarized evidence presented during a 2024 bond hearing, noting that Gardner allegedly “hated Mr. Bridegan, hated having to share custody of the children with him and wanted him dead.”
The individual alleged to have carried out the shooting, Henry Tenon, 65, had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2023. He had agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Fernandez Saldana. However, Tenon withdrew his plea earlier this year and is now slated to have his own trial in 2027. Authorities assert that Tenon received at least $10,000 from Gardner and Fernandez Saldana after Bridegan’s death. Evidence linking Tenon to the crime includes his DNA found on the tire that was used to block Bridegan’s path.
According to police, Bridegan was ambushed shortly after returning the nine-year-old twins he shared with Gardner to her home. He had just finished a regular “date night” with the children. At the time of the attack, Bridegan was driving home to St. Augustine with one of the two children he had with his current wife, Kirsten Bridegan, whom he married in 2017. Kirsten Bridegan posted a poignant message on social media on their anniversary in 2024, expressing her grief and gratitude for their time together: “I am so sorry that once you had found happiness and fulfillment in life, your life was taken from you. But I am so grateful I got to be part of those short years and that we shared so much happiness before it was…”
Information was available with The Chenab Times indicating that at a pretrial hearing in late July 2026, prosecutors dismissed two of the four charges against Mario Fernandez Saldana. He is now proceeding to trial solely on charges of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
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Global Affairs Desk at The Chenab Times covers international developments, global diplomacy, and foreign policy issues through fact-based reporting, explainers, and analytical pieces. The desk focuses on major geopolitical events, diplomatic engagements, and international trends, with an emphasis on verified information, multiple perspectives, and contextual understanding of global affairs.
