Jury Weighs Murder-for-Hire Case in Killing of Microsoft Manager

A Florida jury has begun deliberating in the case of a Microsoft design manager who was fatally shot in what prosecutors describe as a murder-for-hire plot. Jared Bridegan was killed in February 2022 after stopping his SUV to move a tire from a road in Jacksonville Beach.

Prosecutors allege the killing was orchestrated by Bridegan's wealthy ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana. The motive, they say, was a long-running custody dispute over the couple's twins. Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler told jurors that Bridegan was "unarmed, unaware, exposed, and vulnerable" when he was shot, and that the architects of his death had been planning it for months.

Fernandez Saldana, 38, faces charges of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder. His defense attorney, Jesse Dreicer, argued that his client had no motive, noting that Fernandez Saldana and Gardner are now estranged and that no witness testified he ever said Bridegan deserved to die.

The alleged gunman, Henry Tenon, had no personal connection to Bridegan but was a former tenant at a property owned by Fernandez Saldana. Police say Tenon's DNA was found on the tire that was deliberately placed in the road. Jurors were shown three checks totaling $10,000 written to Tenon after the killing, which were described as payments for handyman work and a business idea.

Tenon, 65, initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Fernandez Saldana, but later withdrew from the deal. He is scheduled to stand trial next year. Gardner, 39, is the daughter of the co-founder of Stampin' Up! and her trial is set to begin in September.

Bridegan was shot twice after dropping off two children at Gardner's home. He was married to Kirsten Bridegan at the time of his death, and she testified that the relationship between her husband and Gardner was "pretty terrible" with "absolutely no trust."