The trial for a man accused of orchestrating a fatal ambush against a Microsoft design manager is scheduled to begin Monday in Duval County, Florida. Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, faces charges of first-degree murder in connection with the 2022 death of 33-year-old Jared Bridegan. The proceedings follow years of investigation into what authorities describe as a murder-for-hire plot involving Bridegan’s former wife and her current husband.
The case originated in February 2022, when Bridegan was shot multiple times in Jacksonville Beach after stopping his vehicle to remove a tire that had been placed in the roadway. At the time of the shooting, Bridegan's 2-year-old child was strapped in a car seat inside the vehicle. Bridegan and his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, had been divorced since 2015, a separation followed by what court records describe as years of conflict regarding the custody of their two children.
Investigators allege that Fernandez Saldana and Gardner hired Henry Tenon, 65, to carry out the killing. According to authorities, Tenon was paid at least $10,000 following Bridegan’s death, and his DNA was reportedly found on the tire used to block Bridegan's path. While Tenon initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2023 and agreed to testify, he withdrew that plea earlier this year and is now scheduled for his own trial in 2027.
For the residents of Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine, the trial marks a public resolution to a case that began with a roadside shooting in a residential area. The family of the victim, including his current wife Kirsten Bridegan and his four children, will see the evidence presented in a public forum after four years of legal maneuvering. The scale of the case is reflected in the 12 jurors and four alternates who were selected last week to weigh testimony involving alleged payments of $10,000 and years of documented domestic acrimony.
The case also sets a procedural precedent regarding the cooperation of co-defendants, as the prosecution must now proceed against Fernandez Saldana without the immediate testimony of the alleged gunman, who withdrew his plea agreement. This shift forces the state to rely more heavily on circumstantial evidence, financial trails, and digital communications. Following this trial, Shanna Gardner, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse, is scheduled to begin her own trial in September. A final resolution for the third defendant, Tenon, is not expected until his trial date in 2027.