JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The man accused of pulling the trigger on a St. Johns County father of four in 2022 in a “murder-for-hire” plot pleaded not guilty to charges he’s facing on Wednesday.
Henry Tenon is currently facing charges of murder in the first-degree, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in the death of Jared Bridegan.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Tenon was previously facing a charge of child abuse, as one of Bridegan’s children was in his car at the time of the shooting, but court records show that charge has been dropped.
Tenon’s next court date is set for November 16.
Court records show that jury selection for Tenon is set to begin on May 3. His trial is scheduled for May 10-28 -- the same dates that Shanna Gardner is set to go to trial.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
The State Attorney’s Office said in a memorandum that it will be consolidating Tenon and Gardner’s cases “into one information as multi-defendants.”
Gardner’s estranged husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, was found guilty by a jury on Aug. 26 in Bridegan’s murder. Prosecutors say he hired Tenon to kill Bridegan.
The killing of Jared Bridegan
Jared Bridegan was gunned down Feb. 16, 2022, in Jacksonville Beach. He had just taken his twins, Abby and Liam, whom he shared with ex-wife Shanna Gardner, and his then-2-year-old Bexley, his daughter with wife Kirsten Bridegan, to dinner.
The software engineer had just dropped off the twins at Gardner’s house when he encountered a tire on Sanctuary Boulevard, a one-way road in Jacksonville Beach. He was headed home to his second wife, Kirsten Bridegan, with whom he shared children Bexley and London.
Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said during the announcement of the first arrest in January 2023, that “the tire was purposely placed there to make him stop, which he did.”
“Tragically he began to exit his vehicle to move the tire and he was gunned down in cold blood,” Smith said. Bridegan was shot several times while Bexley was still strapped into a car seat in the back seat of Bridegan’s car.
The suspects
Mario Fernandez Saldana, Gardner’s estranged husband, was arrested in March 2023 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, child abuse, and solicitation to commit a capital felony. Conspiracy and child abuse charges were later dropped. Prosecutors say he hired Henry Tenon to kill Jared Bridegan.
His trial began Aug. 10, 2026 with jury selection. On Aug. 26, 2026, after four hours of deliberations, a jury found Fernandez Saldana guilty on first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony. One day later, Fernandez Saldana was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Henry Tenon’s arrest in connection to Bridegan’s murder was announced in January 2023. He faces charges of murder in the first-degree, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He faced a charge of child abuse, and that was dropped. He’s accused of shooting and killing Jared Bridegan.
Tenon, who rented a home from Fernandez Saldana, initially agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder. In February 2026, Tenon decided to withdraw his guilty plea.
Shanna Gardner was arrested in August 2023 in Washington on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder, and child abuse. Conspiracy and child abuse charges were later dropped. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges she faces.
Gardner’s trial is now set for jury selection on May 3, 2027.
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.
