Jared Bridegan Update: Trial Schedule, Plea Reversal, and Rulings

The Jared Bridegan case is heading toward back-to-back jury trials in Duval County, Florida, in the late summer of 2026. Three people stand charged in the February 2022 roadside ambush of the 33-year-old Microsoft executive: his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner; her second husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana; and Henry Tenon, the alleged gunman. All three will now be tried separately after Tenon withdrew his guilty plea and pulled his cooperation, forcing prosecutors to restructure the case.

Where Each Defendant Stands

Mario Fernandez Saldana was arrested in March 2023 and indicted on first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty and remains in custody.¹

Shanna Gardner was indicted by a Duval County grand jury on August 17, 2023, and arrested in West Richland, Washington, where she had moved. She was extradited to Florida that October and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and child abuse. She pleaded not guilty.¹

Henry Tenon was arrested in January 2023 and originally pleaded guilty in March 2023 to second-degree murder with a weapon under a cooperation deal calling for a minimum 15-year sentence in exchange for his testimony against Gardner and Fernandez.² That deal is no longer in effect.

Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty against both Gardner and Fernandez but withdrew that intent on November 24, 2025, with the support of Bridegan’s family.³

Tenon Withdraws His Plea and Recants

The most consequential recent development came in February 2026, when Tenon withdrew his guilty plea and told the court, “I want a trial.”⁴ He also recanted the statements he had made during plea negotiations and indicated he would no longer testify against his co-defendants.

A new grand jury indictment followed. Tenon now faces first-degree murder, child abuse, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.⁴ His defense team sought to block prosecutors from using anything Tenon said under the old deal. Judge London Kite issued a split ruling: conversations from a February 2023 proffer meeting are suppressed, but a sworn statement Tenon gave on March 15, 2023, the day before he formally pleaded guilty, may be introduced at trial.⁵

Without Tenon’s cooperation, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to try Gardner and Fernandez separately before different juries rather than jointly.⁶

Trial Schedule

Judge London Kite is presiding in Duval County Circuit Court.

Fernandez: jury selection begins August 10, 2026, from a pool of 250; trial is scheduled for August 17–28, 2026.⁶
Gardner: jury selection begins August 31, 2026, from a pool of 500; trial is scheduled for September 8–25, 2026.⁶
Tenon: no date set. Dates under consideration are in late March, early April, or mid-May 2027.⁵

Because Fernandez’s verdict will land before Gardner’s jury is seated, her defense asked the court to seal that verdict. The judge refused and instead enlarged Gardner’s jury pool to help screen out anyone influenced by pretrial publicity.⁶

Recent Pretrial Rulings

Wiretap Evidence Admitted

Gardner’s lead counsel, Patrick Korody, moved in April 2026 to suppress evidence from two court-authorized wiretaps. The first, authorized in January 2023, targeted Gardner’s cellphone, her Apple Watch, and devices belonging to Fernandez and two associates. The second, authorized in February 2023, targeted a phone registered to Gardner’s sister.⁷

The defense argued the probable cause affidavits contained “scant information” about Gardner herself and focused on Fernandez and Tenon, and that the second wiretap was tainted by information drawn from the first. Prosecutors said they have “direct evidence” from Gardner’s own communications, including text messages in which she discussed “getting rid of” her ex-husband.⁸

On June 3, 2026, Judge Kite denied the motion. The wiretap evidence is admissible.⁹

Jailhouse Informant Allegations

Discovery documents filed in late May 2026 revealed allegations that Fernandez tried to run a framing scheme from the Duval County Jail. According to a sworn statement from fellow inmate Emmanuel Alexander, Fernandez said Gardner was the “mastermind” behind the killing and that he himself “was supposed to be the executioner.”¹⁰

Fernandez allegedly asked Alexander, once released, to contact Fernandez’s brother and attorney and arrange letters to media outlets and law enforcement. Those letters were designed to suggest that Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, killed her husband because she suspected he was gay, and to discredit Tenon. Fernandez also allegedly asked Alexander to help “set up” Judge Kite.¹⁰

Alexander’s credibility will be contested. He is 48, has two prior felony convictions, and was himself facing an attempted second-degree murder charge involving his wife when he gave his statements. The audio of his first sworn statement was lost to a court-reporting equipment failure; a second recorded statement was taken on April 1, 2026. Prosecutors say they have made no offers or promises regarding his pending charges.¹¹

Testimony From the Youngest Witness

The defense has moved to block trial testimony from the Bridegans’ daughter, who was two years old when she was in the car seat behind her father the night he was killed.¹²

The Killing and Alleged Motive

Bridegan was shot on the evening of February 16, 2022, after dropping off his nine-year-old twins at Gardner’s home in Jacksonville Beach. Driving back to St. Augustine with his two-year-old daughter, Bexley, in the back seat, he encountered a tire placed in the middle of the road near Jacksonville Drive, America Avenue, and Sanctuary Boulevard. When he stepped out to move it, he was ambushed by gunfire and died at the scene. At least one bullet passed within inches of Bexley’s car seat, though she was not physically harmed.¹³

Prosecutors allege the killing grew out of a long, bitter custody battle between Bridegan and Gardner over their twins. The divorce case, filed in 2015, generated roughly 300 entries and motions. Gardner accused Bridegan of abusive behavior toward the children; Bridegan accused her of spying on him and disparaging him to the children.¹⁴

Investigators say Gardner wanted to stop sharing custody and told a friend that Fernandez, citing his military background, could “take care of” Bridegan. Prosecutors allege Fernandez then recruited Tenon. Financial records include three checks written to Tenon and signed by Fernandez.¹² The connection to Tenon surfaced in August 2022, after he was arrested on an unrelated felony driving charge and detectives linked a Ford F-150 they had been looking for to a rental property owned by Fernandez.¹⁵

State Attorney Melissa Nelson of the 4th Judicial Circuit called the crime “cold, calculated and premeditated” and said Gardner’s indictment “acknowledges her central and key role” in the plot.¹⁶

Gardner’s Defense Team

Gardner is represented by Jose Baez, lead counsel from the Casey Anthony case, who serves as lead counsel for the guilt phase. Patrick Korody, who is death-penalty qualified, leads the penalty phase. Ronald Sullivan Jr., head of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard University, has also joined the team.¹⁷

Civil Suit and Custody of the Twins

The criminal prosecutions run alongside two separate matters. Kirsten Bridegan filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Duval County in February 2025 against Gardner, Fernandez, and Tenon, seeking damages exceeding $50,000 for the loss of her husband, survivor damages for his four children, and funeral expenses.¹⁸ Defense attorneys for Gardner and Fernandez have asked the court to pause the civil case while the criminal trials are pending, arguing that civil discovery could be used against them in criminal court. As of an April 2025 hearing, no formal stay had been entered.¹⁹

The twins have lived in Washington state with Gardner’s parents, Sterling and Shelli Gardner, since before her August 2023 arrest, and she consented to full guardianship by them once she was in custody. Bridegan’s parents sought guardianship in June 2024. The dispute was resolved in December 2024 through a confidential agreement that keeps the children with the Gardners in Washington and includes visitation rights for the Bridegan family.²⁰

1
ABC News. Wife of Slain Microsoft Exec Jared Bridegan Charged With Murder
2
Jacksonville.com. Details Revealed in Henry Tenon Plea Agreement
3
Court TV. Prosecutors Withdraw Death Penalty in Microsoft Exec’s Murder-for-Hire
4
WOKV. Man Who Once Admitted Killing Jared Bridegan Doesn’t Want Plea Deal Statements Mentioned at Trial
5
News4Jax. Accused Gunman in Bridegan Killing Could Learn if Judge Will Block Statements
6
News4Jax. Will Shanna Gardner, Mario Fernandez Be Tried Separately?
7
News4Jax. Shanna Gardner’s Defense Moves to Suppress Wiretap Evidence
8
Court TV. Defense Teams Fight to Suppress Key Evidence in Jared Bridegan Killing
9
News4Jax. Judge Denies Motion to Toss Evidence From Court-Authorized Wiretaps
10
News4Jax. Informant Says Fernandez Called Gardner Murder Mastermind
11
Jacksonville.com. Alleged Jailhouse Conversations Expose Stunning Statements in Jared Bridegan Case
12
News4Jax. Shanna Gardner, Mario Fernandez Return to Court
13
NBC News. Ex-Wife Charged in Murder of Jared Bridegan
14
Jacksonville.com. Jared Bridegan, Shanna Gardner, Mario Fernandez Murder Case
15
News4Jax. Four Years Later: A Timeline of the Jared Bridegan Murder-for-Hire Case
16
4th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. Gardner Indicted, Arrested for Murder of Ex-Husband Jared Bridegan
17
News4Jax. Two High-Profile Attorneys Will Join Jose Baez in Defending Shanna Gardner
18
Action News Jax. Jared Bridegan’s Widow Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
19
News4Jax. Hearing on Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Murder of Jared Bridegan
20
News4Jax. Court Ends Custody Battle Between Grandparents