A Florida jury has found Mario Fernandez Saldana guilty of murder in the 2022 killing of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan. The jury convicted him on charges of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
According to investigators, Bridegan, aged 33, was shot at close range in February 2022 in Jacksonville Beach. The incident occurred after he stopped his car to remove a tire left in the middle of a dark road. Bridegan’s young daughter was in the vehicle during the shooting but remained unharmed.
Prosecutors argued that the ambush was meticulously planned due to an ongoing custody dispute between Bridegan and his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, now married to Fernandez Saldana. Officials believe the couple orchestrated the attack by hiring Henry Tenon as the gunman. Initially, Tenon pleaded guilty but later withdrew his plea.
Fernandez Saldana was apprehended in March 2023, while Gardner was taken into custody in August. Both have been charged with Bridegan’s murder and will be tried separately with different juries. Official records showed an older booking photo of Henry Tenon, charged with Bridegan’s murder, alongside a family portrait featuring Jared and Kirsten Bridegan with their daughters, Bexley and London.