JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The pause has been extended on the order for the widow of Jared Bridegan to turn over her phone per a Duval County judge’s order.
Action News Jax told you on August 21 when Kirsten Bridegan’s attorneys appealed Judge London Kite’s order to hand her phone over to the attorneys of Shanna Gardner.
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Gardner, Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife, is one of three people charged in Jared Bridegan’s murder.
A temporary stay, which is the pause of a legal proceeding, on Kite’s order was initially granted by Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals on August 20.
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On Wednesday, the Fifth DCA ruled that its stay of the order would remain in effect while it fully reviews Kirsten Bridegan’s attorneys’ appeal of Kite’s order.
Kirsten Bridegan’s lawyer Jason Gonzalez wrote of the stay on Facebook, “Kirsten has courageously fought to preserve victims’ rights for everyone, and now the appellate court will have an opportunity to write what could be the seminal opinion on how these new constitutional rights are properly applied.”
‘Underlying litigation’
The DCA also mentioned the fact that the “underlying litigation,” which is Gardner’s trial for the murder of Jared Bridegan, has been rescheduled until May 3, 2027.
Action News Jax told you on August 27 during Gardner’s most recent hearing that she and Henry Tenon, the man accused of pulling the trigger in Bridegan’s murder, will now go on trial in May.
Mario Fernandez Saldana, Gardner’s estranged husband, was found guilty by a jury on August 26 in Bridegan’s murder.
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According to Duval County Court records, he is now charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. One of the charges includes the descriptor “lewd/lascivious molestation - offender 18 or older against victim less than 12 years old.”
Gardner’s defense said on August 27 it needs time to prepare in light of the new charges Fernandez Saldana is facing. Also, the defense has just notified the state of new witnesses, and the state needs time to prepare.
Gardner’s next pretrial hearing is set for October 27 at 9 a.m.
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