JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Just weeks before Shanna Gardner is set to stand trial, her defense team won a new push to review evidence from the cell phone of Jared Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten Bridegan.
Judge London Kite ruled Tuesday that the defense can move forward with an amended request to subpoena information from Kirsten Bridegan’s phone. The ruling came after a nearly two-hour hearing where Gardner’s attorneys and the State argued over whether the defense had shown enough to justify the request.
Jared Bridegan was killed in Jacksonville Beach in 2022 in front of his young daughter. Investigators say Gardner, Jared’s ex-wife, and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, are accused in connection with a murder-for-hire plot tied to his death. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The phone request is the latest in a series of pretrial battles involving Kirsten Bridegan. The State pushed back hard in court, arguing the defense had not provided enough evidence to show why her phone was relevant to the case.
“The State’s position is... this is not a request for information for Ms. Bridegan’s phone. This is harassment,” prosecutors argued in court. “This is putting Ms. Bridegan through a set of circumstances that is unnecessary.”
At another point, the State argued Kirsten Bridegan should not have to search through her phone while preparing for the upcoming trial.
“We shouldn’t be looking through anybody’s phone,” prosecutors said. “Ms. Bridegan should not be looking through her phone, and she should be doing what she should do as the widow of Jared Bridegan, and that’s preparing for a trial in three weeks.”
Gardner’s defense team argued the request is lawful and said they should not have to explain the strategy behind the subpoena in open court. They argued that doing so could reveal their defense strategy before trial.
“I have a duty to my client under the 5th and 6th Amendments to not review defense strategy in front of the very witness who would be subject to the cross-examination that is at issue here,” the defense argued.
The defense also told the court its request does not violate the rules.
“It does not run afoul of any of the rules,” the defense said. “It is contemplated by 3.220, and that’s what we’re asking the court to do here.”
After a brief recess, Kite returned and ruled in favor of the defense’s amended request.
On Monday, the defense will review evidence from Kirsten Bridegan’s phone. That evidence will remain sealed unless the issue goes to appeals.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
