JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The alleged hitman in a 2022 murder for hire plot against a Microsoft executive appeared in front of a judge and learned when his case will go to trial.
Henry Tenon is accused of being hired by Mario Fernandez Saldana to kill Fernandez Saldana’s wife, Shana Gardner’s first husband, Jared Bridegan.
Bridegan was murdered in Jacksonville Beach in 2022.
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Jury selection will begin on March 29th, with the trial expected to start that week and go into the following week.
Altogether, jury selection and trial should last about two weeks.
Tenon initially signed a plea agreement admitting to being the hitman; however, in February, he reversed the plea and reentered it as not guilty.
In late May, the judge in this case ruled that Tenon’s March 15, 2023, sworn incriminating statement is allowed in court, but other information will not be allowed.
Tenon’s defense argued that because his statements were made in connection with plea negotiations, they should not be allowed under Florida law.
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During the hearing today, the judge asked the attorneys if they were considering sequestering the jury.
“What we’re doing in Gardner and Fernandez is sequestered lunches like they’re not going out, they’re catering in, they’re not going to be milling around. So if you are all thinking about those types of things, we need to let the clerk’s office know,” said Judge London Kite.
Tenon will be back in court on July 27th. Jury selection for Gardner and Fernandez Saldana will be in August. They will have separate trials.
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