Thursday’s announcement by the state attorney’s office was that Jared Bridegan, a father of four from Florida, was arrested for the murder of his toddler.
Melissa Nelson, Florida’s Fourth Judicial District’s state attorney, and Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith announced at a press conference, that Bridegan’s husband has been indicted for the murder.
Mario Fernandez, 35, is the second husband of Shanna Gardner Fernandez, Bridegan’s ex-wife. He was taken into custody by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Jacksonville Beach Police Department officers.
According to law enforcement sources, Gardner-Fernandez (35) remains a suspect.
Nelson stated that the judge signed Fernandez’s arrest warrant after Henry Tenon, Fernandez’s former tenant, had pleaded guilty in a plea deal to fatally shooting Bridegan.
Tenon, 61 has agreed to “testify truthfully” against the people he collaborated with to murder Jared Bridegan, she said to reporters at the press conference at the Jacksonville state attorney’s office.
She added that Tenon’s cooperation had corroborated the evidence from the investigation as well as providing additional evidence against Mario Fernandez Saldana in relation to his involvement in Jared’s execution.
Tenon was arrested two months ago for second-degree murder and conspiracy to murder. He also faces accessory after the fact, child abuse, and second-degree murder.
The Florida state attorney’s office announced Thursday that a new arrest was made in the case of Jared Bridegan (father of four), who was shot to death in front of his child more than a decade ago.
Fernandez faces charges of second-degree killing with a weapon, conspiracy for first-degree murder and solicitation to be convicted of a capital crime. Fernandez could be sentenced to death if convicted.
Nelson stated that the “investigation continues to be active and ongoing” and was not affected by Mario Fernandez’s arrest.
Bridegan, 33 years old, was a Microsoft software developer. He was killed in an affluent neighborhood of Jacksonville Beach, Florida. When he tried to move a strategically placed tire from his car, he was confronted by his 2-year-old daughter Bexley.
The arrest warrant for Fernandez, which was released on Thursday, contained disturbing new information.
The document states that bullets struck the vehicle’s interior, near where [Bexley] was seated in her car seat.
After taking Bexley to dinner, Bridegan dropped the twins, aged 10 and 9, at Gardner-Fernandez’s home.
Bridegan’s widow Kirsten Bridegan was flanked by Adam Bridegan and read a short statement at the press conference on Thursday.
“We are relieved to know that the two people responsible for my husband’s death are behind bars and no longer pose a threat. She said that they are still angry and described the loss she and their children, Bexley (3 years old) and London (1-year-old), suffered.
“Angry that our six-month-old daughter, who was six months old at the time of his passing, will not have any memories of her father,” she said. She was angry that there would be no new memories, and her eyes filled with tears.
Charging documents claim that Tenon conspired for at least six weeks with at least one accomplice to plan the cold-blooded murder that left four children without a father.
Tenon was working odd jobs for Fernandez at the time of the shooting and lived in a Jacksonville rental home, which was later purchased.
Fernandez received three handwritten checks that Tenon had deposited. However, the warrant is heavily redacted and doesn’t show when they were written.
Gardner-Fernandez & Bridegan were in an uneasy divorce in 2016 but continued to fight over custody of their twins, finances, and support until Gardner-Fernandez’s death.
According to a tattoo parlor employee, Gardner-Fernandez questioned him shortly before the divorce and asked if he knew of anyone who could “shut him down.”
Gardner-Fernandez is the scion of a rich Mormon family that owns a multimillion-dollar papercraft company. Later, he admitted to the statement in an interview with local newspapers.
According to the warrant, Fernandez met her in 2018 at CrossFit where he was a maintenance worker.
Gardner-Fernandez traveled 2,800 miles to the Pacific Northwest in late 2013, despite mounting public scrutiny.
We reported previously that her parents had used an LLC to purchase a $1,000,000 home for her in West Richland, Washington.
Gardner-Fernandez seems to be separated from Fernandez who is currently living in Orlando but did not accompany her on the cross-country move.
Fernandez was seen in January sitting on the ground in front of his house and shaving his beard using an electric razor.
After Tenon’s arrest, Kirsten Bridegan made a direct plea to Tenon.
“Henry! If you have the opportunity to hear this, please take action now to do right. At a January press conference, she cried and asked reporters for help. “Please help us in this nightmare we are living each day.”
Kirsten Bridegan stated Thursday that she will continue to fight for justice until all those involved in the murder of her husband are charged.
She said that she had fought for the truth, and although it is clear that there are still many to go before those responsible are held accountable, today is an important day for her family.
Henry Coxe III, Gardner-Fernanez’s highly-skilled criminal defense attorney, declined to comment. Although he stated that he no longer represents Fernandez, he declined to reveal the identity of his new lawyer.
