JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Court TV) — The man accused of killing a Microsoft executive who prosecutors say was the target of a murder-for-hire will stand trial in 2027 — months after his alleged co-conspirators.
Henry Tenon appears in court for a pretrial hearing on June 17, 2026. (Court TV)
Henry Tenon, 65, is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the death of Jared Bridegan, 33. Bridegan was shot and killed after dropping his two older children off at his ex-wife’s home; his youngest daughter was in the car and witnessed her father’s death.
Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, 39, and her husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, are also charged with Bridegan’s murder and have pleaded not guilty. Tenon had initially pleaded guilty as part of an agreement with the state that would have had him testify against both Gardner and Fernandez Saldana; Tenon changed course and withdrew his guilty plea earlier this year. He has now pleaded not guilty to all the charges he faces.
Tenon was the first person to be charged with Bridegan’s murder, but he will be the final defendant to stand trial. While Gardner and Fernandez Saldana are scheduled to have separate trials back-to-back late this summer, Tenon won’t get his time in front of a jury until 2027.
At a pretrial hearing on Wednesday, Tenon’s attorney, Julie Schlax, told Judge London Kite that she would not be available for a trial before March 2027. Schlax explained that she has five pending death penalty cases to be tried in the next 12 months. Kite ultimately scheduled Tenon’s trial to begin on March 29, 2027, after taking into account the scheduled spring break for both Duval and St. Johns County Schools. The judge herself has children in the Duval district and the victim’s children attend school in St. Johns; the later trial date will allow for parties to attend court without concern for childcare.
The attorneys estimated the trial itself to span approximately one week, but allotted two weeks on the calendar to account for any delays in seating a jury.
Tenon is scheduled to return to court on July 27 for a pretrial hearing.
