JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A 2-year-old girl watched from her car seat as her father was shot and killed in the street. Now, four years later, the man prosecutors say helped arrange that murder is on trial.
Mario Fernandez Saldana sat in a Jacksonville Beach courtroom this week, listening and taking notes, as prosecutors argued he conspired with his wife — Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner — to have Bridegan killed.
What happened the night of the shooting
In 2022, Bridegan, 33, was driving home from a night out with his children when he stopped his car to move a tire blocking the road. Police say he was shot and killed in the street, in front of his 2-year-old daughter, Bexley, who was strapped in her car seat.
Witness Janelle Cruz drove up on the scene moments after the shooting. She testified about what Bexley told her.
“She was shaking. She was panting like she’s been crying,” Cruz said. When asked what the child said specifically about what she saw, Cruz told the court: “My daddy’s on the ground, my daddy’s hurt, and is the police going to help my daddy.”
Prosecutors: the murder was personal
Assistant State Attorney Christina Stiffler told the jury: “The killer was a stranger to Jared Bridegan. The murder was personal.”
Court documents say Gardner “harbored a deep hatred for Jared Bridegan and resented sharing custody of their children.”
Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, also testified, describing the night she tried to reach her husband. “I kept calling him, and would give it a little bit, and I remember telling my parents something was wrong,” she said.
The alleged hired shooter
Surveillance video captured after the shooting showed a man running from the scene and someone driving away in a truck. Investigators allege that man was Henry Tenon, whose DNA they say was found on the tire used to stop Bridegan’s car. Prosecutors say Fernandez Saldana paid Tenon at least $10,000, disguised as payments for landscaping and roof work.
Fernandez Saldana’s defense team says there is no evidence he hired or paid Tenon for the killing.
What comes next
Tenon is scheduled to stand trial next year. Gardner, who has pleaded not guilty, is scheduled for trial next month. Fernandez Saldana is the first of the three defendants to face a jury.