A plot to kill Jared Bridegan: Here's everything to know about the Jacksonville Beach murder
Jared Bridegan had a new family and a nice life in St. Augustine. But he also had a turbulent relationship with his ex-wife in Jacksonville Beach and her new husband.
Probably sounds similar to a lot of other acrimonious divorces. Not exactly.
His ex-wife and her husband, both in jail awaiting their death penalty trial, are accused of conspiring to kill Bridegan and orchestrating it with another accomplice.
What happened to Jared Bridegan?
On the evening of Feb. 16, 2022, Jared Bridegan had just dropped off his 9-year-old twin son and daughter to his ex-wife's home in Jacksonville Beach and was headed back to St. Augustine where he lived. With his 2-year-old daughter in the car, he stopped because of a tire on the road near the exit of The Sanctuary neighborhood.
In what police believed from the onset that this was a planned murder, he was shot multiple times as he apparently attempted to move the tire. His vehicle's hazard lights were still blinking with his daughter sitting in her car seat unharmed. Police said nothing appeared to have been stolen and his wife had just spoken with him and said nothing seemed out of the ordinary. This also was his regular route where he was expected to be.
Who was Jared Bridegan?
He was a 33-year-old Microsoft executive and father of four. He had two children with ex-wife Shanna Gardner-Fernandez who lived in Jacksonville Beach and two with current wife Kirsten Bridegan in St. Augustine.
Who was arrested in Jared Bridegan's death?
On Jan. 25, 2023, Jacksonville Beach Police Department Chief Gene Paul Smith and State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced the arrest of Henry Arthur Tenon, then-61, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony and child abuse.
Tenon pleaded guilty on March 16 and agreed to testify against Mario Fernandez Saldana, who was arrested that same day in Orlando. The 34-year-old husband of Jared Bridegan's ex-wife is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse.
Jacksonville Beach murder plot: Bodycam video shows Shanna Gardner's arrest in ex-Jared Bridegan's murder plot
On Aug. 17, 2023, Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Lee Gardner (who at the time went Shanna Gardner Fernandez), was indicted on the same charges. She was arrested in the state of Washington where she was living. Nelson said prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against her and Fernandez Saldana.
Who is Henry Tenon?
Tenon has nine arrests in Jacksonville on minor offenses, according to jail records. He was already in jail awaiting trial for Aug. 18 charges of possession of a weapon by a felon and driving with a suspended or revoked license on a third or subsequent conviction. That arrest report stated he had a shotgun in the trunk during a traffic stop.
He had rented a home in the 5200 block of Potomac Avenue from Fernandez Saldana, the State Attorney's Office confirmed.
What led to Henry Tenon's arrest?
Authorities have said his pickup truck that was captured in nearby security video led to him being investigated.
An arrest warrant states that Tenon’s financial records from his bank showed three handwritten checks from Fernandez Saldana in October 2022. Phone records also showed Tenon and Fernandez Saldana had communicated 35 times that February.
What was the motive for killing Jared Bridegan?
An arrest warrant states "the investigation into Bridegan’s background revealed a highly acrimonious divorce from his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and a contentious relationship with both Gardner and Fernandez Saldana."
What happened in the divorce between Jared Bridegan and Shanna Gardner?
Gardner is from Utah and met Bridegan while visiting a friend in Florida in 2009. They married in 2010 in Salt Lake City. At some point, they moved to Connecticut and started having trouble involving her and her personal trainer, according to Fox News, although she denied to the Times-Union that she had an affair. She filed for divorce in February 2015 and sought primary custody of their twin children.
The court file has about 300 entries and motions. Gardner-Fernandez accused Bridegan of "disturbing and abusive behavior" toward their children, and he accused her of spying on him and treating him "in a disparaging manner in front of the children."
One document states: "The parenting plan is clearly an issue and the parents are unable to agree. The disagreement of the parents this point now extends well beyond mere timesharing and goes to issues of the mental health and well-being of the children."
Another motion for relief states: "The husband is a stay at home father while being a full time student throughout the marriage., completing his Bachelor of Arts degree and is presently engaged in an online Master of Arts program... The wife has provided the sole support to the family through regular and recurring gifts from her family to the parties as well as from trusts and/or other family related funds. The parties have regularly received a stipend from the wife's family exceeding $8,500 per month which has enabled the husband to further his degree programs."
Gardner declined to comment on the details of the divorce with the Times-Union, explaining that "I don't see any good in airing our dirty laundry. ... Our relationship was pretty complicated and remained pretty complicated."
Who is Shanna Gardner-Fernandez?
Gardner-Fernandez, then 35, is Bridegan's ex-wife. She drew immediate scrutiny due to the couple's ugly divorce and not attending his funeral or initially speaking out. She and Bridegan were married in 2010 and divorced in 2015. They shared custody of the twins. She married second husband Mario Fernandez Saldana in 2018 and runs a baking company beachbaked904.
"I feel for Jared's family and what they are going through. I can't even imagine," she told the Times-Union in June. "I have tried to be respectful. I have tried to give them space."
Before her husband's arrest, Action News Jacksonville, citing Fox News Digital, reported Gardner-Fernandez quietly moved across the country with the twins to a home recently purchased by her parents in West Richland, Wash. They noted it was not with her husband. She also now goes by Gardner, according to her publicist.
Why did Shanna Gardner hire an attorney so early?
Early on, she hired prominent Jacksonville defense attorney Hank Coxe to help protect her family from the publicity and sensationalism that included invasive photos of her and her children at a local park and implications she was involved in the shooting.
She said the intense media coverage has "become very loud," and it made her children feel unsafe. "My kids are 10. They understand everything that is going on," she told the Times-Union. "They see this and they are scared, terrified and struggling."
Who are Shanna Gardner's parents?
Her parents are Sterling and Shelli Gardner, co-founders of the highly successful Stampin’ Up! arts and crafts company and fixtures in the Mormon community in Utah.
Who is Mario Fernandez Saldana?
Gardner told the Times-Union in June that her husband manages rental properties and has been a big supporter during the ordeal.
Fernandez Saldana and Gardner met at CrossFit gym in 2018, where he was a maintenance man, according to an arrest warrant.
He also was the subject of a Jacksonville Beach incident because a neighbor felt he was intimidating her because she feeds stray cats that he didn't like. She said he intentionally walked his pit bull right up to where she was feeding them, according to the 2018 incident report.
He said he was just walking his dog and it was nothing malicious. The officer advised him about the municipal ordinances involving dangerous dogs and suggested he contact animal control if he has a problem with feral cats. Fox News also reported other run-ins and threats involving Fernandez Saldana over the cats.
Do Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez Saldana face the death penalty?
State Attorney Melissa Nelson said prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against the couple.
How many years in prison does Henry Tenon face?
By agreeing to plead guilty to second-degree murder, Tenon will be sentenced to at least 15 years in prison and up to life, according to the plea agreement.
In accepting the March 16 guilty plea for second-degree murder with a weapon, the "state waives the sentencing guidelines, defendant agrees to testify truthfully against any co-defendants, state will drop counts 2, 3 and 4 at the time of the sentencing," the agreement reads. Those counts were for charges of conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact to a capital felony and child abuse.
"Both parties acknowledge that the sentencing court will give weight to the defendant's life expectancy, his early and continuing cooperation in the prosecution of co-defendants and will hear all parties, including members of the victim's family in considering the appropriate sentence," the agreement reads.
What happened at Henry Tenon's arraignment?
Tenon pleaded not guilty to all counts on Feb. 13, just three days shy of the anniversary of Bridegan's death. Bridegan's widow was there and saw him in person for the first time. She said she is praying for his family and urged him to cooperate.
"Henry, if you get to hear this, please choose now to do the right thing," Kirsten Bridegan said. "Please help us to receive justice sooner rather than later and allow us and your own family to move forward and focus on healing as quickly as possible. Please help us in this nightmare that we are living every single day."
Who is Kirsten Bridegan?
Kirsten Bridegan, who has two young children with Jared as his 31-year-old widow, previously was an account manager before taking on the role of full-time mom.
She has been proactive in trying to make sure Jared's story isn't forgotten, creating the Instagram account "JusticeForJaredB" and the Bridegan Foundation but also is sometimes fearful for her and her family's safety.
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She also is determined to help children who are taken to law enforcement under these circumstances awaiting for family to arrive. She created "The Bexley Box" and is working on getting them into local police stations and sheriff's offices. The Bexley Box will be filled with diapers, sippy cups, snacks, toys, blankets, stuffed animals and pre-mixed formula.
She told First Coast News in her rush to get to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department that night, she didn't think about what to bring and not knowing the hours they'd be there.
What did Kirsten Bridegan say about Henry Tenon's arrest and did she know him?
Kirsten Bridegan told WJXT TV-4 it is "pretty clear that someone knew his route, his schedule. I have felt since the beginning that this was planned, this was thought out, and this was specific to Jared. So I’m not surprised that they announced that Henry Tenon — someone that we have never heard of, that Jared did not know — wasn’t alone in this.”
What did Kirsten Bridegan say on 'Dr. Phil' about Jared Bridegan's ex?
When asked on "Dr. Phil" what she thinks about Gardner, who has publicly said she had nothing do with the attack or knows what Jared may have been involved with, Kirsten Bridegan was uncomplimentary.
“I have never found Shanna to be a truthful person," she said, according to Action News Jax. "So I don’t put a lot of weight into what she said. But I’m glad that she is on camera stating some things. The fact that she seems to me to be trying to be emotional, there’s no tears, there’s no real emotion there, doesn’t come across as genuine to me.”
What did Jared Bridegan's widow say after Shanna Gardner's arrest?
"For 547 days we hoped and prayed that this day would come," Kristen Bridegan said.
"From very, very early on, everything in my body and soul told me she was behind it," she said.
As for the twins Abby and Liam, she said they have been "kept away and isolated from us" while living with their mother Gardner, stepfather and maternal grandparents.
"Despite my constant requests to see or speak to them, I have been denied and continuously ignored," she said tearfully. "... I plead with the Gardners to put the emotional and mental well-being of Liam and Abby above all else and allow them to reconnect with us. We are their family, we love them... Let our children be siblings again and put them first and do what's right."
What did Jared Bridegan's brother have to say about what happened?
“I won’t get into specifics, but I did have several conversations with Jared, where he did express concerns that something like this could happen to him,” Adam Bridegan told WJXT TV-4. “He did have concerns on his life.”
What did Shanna Gardner's parents say following her arrest?
The Kirton McConkie Law Firm in Salt Lake City, Utah, provided the following statement on behalf of Gardner's parents, Shelli and Sterling Gardner:
“Words cannot accurately express the depth of our sadness. Family is our top priority. We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time. For their sake and all involved, we caution against further speculation and request privacy as the legal process runs its course. In the meantime, we are thankful for the continued support, thoughtfulness and prayers being so generously shared by friends and loved ones.”
Was there a reward for information leading to an arrest in Jared Bridegan's death?
The reward is up to at least $55,000. Anyone with information in the case can contact the Jacksonville Beach Police Department at (904) 270-1661, First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 (TIPS) or the ATF at Tampatips@atf.gov.
Are any more arrests expected in Jared Bridegan's case?
In announcing Shanna Gardner's arrest, State Attorney Melissa Nelson said it would be her last update in the case. That indicates authorities likely don't suspect any others were involved.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Shanna Gardner, Mario Fernandez, Jared Bridegan: Everything to know
