A Florida man accused of arranging the fatal ambush of a Microsoft design manager is set to go to trial Monday, more than four years after the victim was shot and killed outside his vehicle with his young child present.
Investigators allege that Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, orchestrated a murder-for-hire plot to kill Jared Bridegan, 33, in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022. Prosecutors claim a tire was deliberately placed in the road to stop Bridegan's vehicle, leading to the ambush. Saldana is charged with first-degree murder in Duval County court.
Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, 39, is also charged with murder in connection with the death, but her trial is scheduled to begin in September.
The couple divorced in 2015, and their separation was marked by years of contentious disputes over the custody of their two children. Evidence presented in court indicated that Gardner harbored intense animosity toward Bridegan, with one judge summarizing that she "hated Mr. Bridegan, hated having to share custody of the children with him and wanted him dead."
The alleged gunman, Henry Tenon, 65, had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2023 and had agreed to testify against Saldana. However, Tenon withdrew his plea earlier this year and is now scheduled for his own trial in 2027. Authorities stated that Tenon received at least $10,000 from Gardner and Saldana after Bridegan's death, and his DNA was found on the tire used to block Bridegan's vehicle.
Bridegan was killed shortly after dropping off twins he shared with Gardner at her home as part of a regular visitation schedule. He was en route to his home in St. Augustine with one of the two children he had with his second wife, Kirsten, whom he married in 2017.
Before his death, Bridegan worked as the chief technology officer at Utah-based Clean Simple Eats and previously held a position at Microsoft. Kirsten Bridegan, his widow, shared a social media post on their anniversary in 2024 expressing grief over his loss but gratitude for the time they shared.