JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Court TV) — The man accused of funding a murder-for-hire that killed a Microsoft executive in front of his young daughter will remain behind bars until his trial this summer, a Florida judge has ruled.
Mario Fernandez Saldana appears in court on Dec. 1, 2023. (Court TV)
Mario Fernandez Saldana is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation and child abuse in the death of Jared Bridegan, a computer executive who was gunned down in Jacksonville Beach in 2022. At the time of his death, Bridegan shared custody of his two older children with his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, who is married to Fernandez Saldana. Gardner is facing the same charges as her husband.
Prosecutors say Gardner and Fernandez Saldana paid a tenant living at a property they own, Henry Tenon, to murder Bridegan. Tenon initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the couple, but withdrew his plea last month; he will now face his own trial and will not cooperate with prosecutors.
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Jared Bridegan, right, was gunned down Feb. 16, 2022, after taking his two older children to the home of his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, in Jacksonville, Fla. Gardner-Fernandez, left, is accused of plotting the murder with her second husband and an alleged hitman.
In the wake of Tenon changing his story, Fernandez Saldana filed a motion for bond. Fernandez Saldana argued, through his attorney, that evidence only ties Tenon to the murder.
In a written decision filed on Thursday, Judge London Kite refused to grant bond for the defendant, citing the weight of the evidence against him.
While Tenon’s story may have changed, Judge Kite pointed to the affidavit that says surveillance video and DNA evidence prove he was the gunman even without his confession or cooperation. Tenon lived in a home managed by First Choice Home Rentals, LLC, which lists Gardner and Fernandez Saldana as authorized managers. Judge Kite noted that cellphone data showed Fernandez Saldana’s device going to Tenon’s property, several payments sent from the First Choice Home Rentals account to Tenon and 5,400 records deleted from the defendant’s phone, as giving weight to her decision.
Gardner and Fernandez Saldana had initially faced a potential death sentence if they were convicted, but prosecutors withdrew their intent to seek the penalty after Tenon changed his story. The couple is scheduled to stand trial in August. No trial date has been set for Tenon.
