A hitman has been convicted of first-degree murder and solicitation in the death of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan, a killing prosecutors say was fueled by a custody battle between the victim and his ex-wife.
Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 38, was found guilty on Wednesday in the murder-for-hire scheme that led to Bridegan's death four years ago in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Bridegan, 33, was shot and killed on February 16, 2022, after he had stopped his SUV to remove a tire from the road.
Prosecutors allege that Fernandez-Saldana's former tenant, Henry Tenon, carried out the shooting. Tenon, 65, has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Fernandez-Saldana, but later withdrew from that agreement and is set to stand trial next year. Evidence presented in court included financial transactions, such as three checks totaling $10,000 written to Tenon after the homicide, which were marked as payments for handyman work and a business idea. Tenon's DNA was also found on the tire that was placed in the road.
Bridegan, a father of four, had just dropped off his nine-year-old twins with his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, after a meal. He was reportedly shot twice as he attempted to move a tire from the roadway. Two bullets struck his vehicle, narrowly missing his then-two-year-old daughter, who was in her car seat.
Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler told the jury that the architects of the murder had been preparing for months. The defense argued that Fernandez-Saldana had no motive and gained no benefit from Bridegan's death.
Fernandez-Saldana is married to Gardner, whose own trial for murder is scheduled to begin in September. The couple is estranged, and Gardner relocated to Washington state after Bridegan's killing. Gardner is the daughter of the co-founder of Stampin' Up!, an arts-and-crafts company. At the time of his death, Bridegan was married to Kirsten Bridegan, with whom he had two children. Kirsten Bridegan described the post-divorce relationship between her husband and Gardner as "pretty terrible."