A man has been convicted for orchestrating the murder of a Microsoft design manager in Florida, a crime linked to a tumultuous child custody battle between the victim and his former spouse.
Jared Bridegan was killed four years ago after stepping out of his SUV to clear a tire from a road in Jacksonville Beach. The authorities faced challenges in solving the case as Bridegan had no known enemies, and his young daughter was present during the attack.
Prosecutors connected his murder to persistent conflicts with his ex-wife over parenting their twins. On Wednesday, Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, was found guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder, as reported by CBS affiliate WJAX-TV. Saldana is the husband of Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, whose trial is anticipated to commence in September.
Prosecutors portrayed the murder as a “targeted ambush” planned by Gardner and Saldana, following disagreements over religious upbringing and twin parenting post-divorce. Bridegan was on his way home with his 2-year-old daughter, Bexley, after dining with his twins.
“He was unarmed, unaware, exposed, vulnerable. He couldn’t have known, on that cold asphalt in February of 2022, the architects of his murder had been making preparations for his death for months,”
Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler said during closing remarks. She highlighted Gardner’s opposition to her children’s participation in the Mormon church, describing the relationship as contentious and unpleasant.
Defense attorney Jesse Dreicer argued that Fernandez Saldana lacked motive for Bridegan’s murder. The couple is separated, with Gardner relocating to Washington state after the crime.
“He certainly gained no benefit from the death of Jared Bridegan,” Dreicer stated, noting Fernandez Saldana never expressed that Bridegan “deserves to die.”
The supposed shooter, Henry Tenon, had no direct connections with Bridegan but was a former tenant at Fernandez Saldana’s rental property. Evidence presented to jurors included three checks totaling $10,000 made out to Tenon after the attack, labeled for handyman work and a business proposal. Tenon’s DNA matched the rim of the tire placed in the road.
Initially, Tenon pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Fernandez Saldana but later retracted his decision. His trial is scheduled for next year.
Gardner, 39, is the daughter of the co-founder of Stampin’ Up!, an arts-and-craft company in Utah. Bridegan was shot twice when removing the tire from the road, having returned his twins to Gardner’s residence following a meal. At the time of his death, he was married to Kirsten Bridegan, and they had two children together.
Kirsten Bridegan shared with the jury that the post-divorce interaction between her spouse and Gardner was fraught with distrust and conflict.
In 2022, Kirsten Bridegan established the Bridegan Foundation to offer comfort to children at police stations, inspired by the hours her daughter spent at the station bereft of parental care or toddler essentials.