The ex-wife of a Microsoft executive who was fatally shot in front of his 2-year-old daughter in Florida last year has been charged in connection with his murder, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Shanna Gardner-Fernandez was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder and child abuse in the death of her ex-husband Jared Bridegan, Jacksonville Beach prosecutors said at a press conference.
The indictment Thursday makes Gardner-Fernandez the third person charged in Bridegan’s death. Her current husband, 35-year-old Mario Fernandez Saldana, was charged with murder in March, accused of hiring the gunman who shot Bridegan in his car in February 2022. The alleged gunman, 61-year-old Henry Tenon, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson said prosecutors will pursue the death penalty against Gardner-Fernandez.
“Shanna Gardner’s indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan,” Nelson said.
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According to court documents, Gardner-Fernandez’s relationship with Bridegan became heated following their divorce in 2016. The two argued about finances and custody over the children they shared, now-10-year-old twins.
Prosecutors say that on Feb. 16, 2022, Bridegans dropped off the twins with Gardner-Fernandez and was on his way home — with his 2-year-old daughter in the backseat — when he pulled his car over to avoid a tire in the road. That’s when Tenon, allegedly hired by Saldana and who placed the tire there purposefully, ambushed Bridegan and shot him in front of his daughter, according to court documents.
Tenon has agreed to testify against Saldana as part of his plea agreement.
According to court documents, Saldana was Tenon’s former landlord and frequently communicated with him and wrote three checks.
Local news outlet News4Jax reports Gardner-Fernandez, who now lives in Washington state, has long since denied her involvement in Bridegan’s murder.
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