Jury selection continues for Mario Fernandez Saldana murder trial

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thursday marked day four of jury selection in the first trial connected to the murder of St. Johns County father of four Jared Bridegan.

Mario Fernandez Saldana, the estranged husband of Bridegan’s ex-wife Shanna Gardner, is accused of hiring Henry Tenon to shoot and kill Bridegan on Feb., 16, 2022 in Jacksonville Beach.

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Jared Bridegan Jared Bridegan (Jacksonville Beach Police Department/Jacksonville Beach Police Department)

Bridegan had just dropped off his twins, who he shares with Gardner, when he was driving down Sanctuary Boulevard. A tire was placed in the road and when Bridegan got out to move the tire, he was shot while his then-2-year-old daughter Bexley was in the car.

Gardner and Tenon are also charged in Bridegan’s murder.

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Lots of jurors have expressed concerns about having to be away from work and prove to their bosses that they really had to be in court for several days, possibly several weeks.

Judge London Kite also informed them Thursday that the jurors will be sequestered during the trial, but will be allowed to go home for lunch.

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The goal is to find 12 jurors and three to four alternates by Friday so opening statements can begin on Monday.

According to the schedule laid out by Kite, the trial of Fernandez Saldana should wrap up by late August.

Then, Gardner’s trial is scheduled begin with jury selection on Monday, Aug. 31. Tenon, who initially pleaded guilty and then withdrew that plea, is set to go to trial in March.

Photos: Jury selection for Mario Fernandez Saldana, 1 of 3 suspects accused in Jared Bridegan murder

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Mario Fernandez Saldana jury selection Defendant Mario Fernandez Saldana, center, smiles while fixing’s tie and collar while talking with one of his defense attorneys Jesse Dreicer, right, before the start of jury selection in Saldana’s murder trial Monday morning, August 10, 2026 in the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. Mario Fernandez Saldana is charged with first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony in the 2022 murder of his wife's ex-husband, Jared Bridegan, in Jacksonville Beach. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] (Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union)

Mario Fernandez Saldana jury selection Defense Attorney James Hill, left, Assistant State Attorneys Alan Mizrahi and Christina Stifler and Defense Attorney Jesse Dreicer hold a bench conference in Judge London Kite’s courtroom, Monday August 10, 2026 during the jury selection in Mario Fernandez Saldana’s first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony trial at the Duval County Court House in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] (Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union)

Mario Fernandez Saldana jury selection Assistant State Attorney Steve Siegel watches as potential jurors file into Judge London Kite’s courtroom, Monday August 10, 2026 during the jury selection in Mario Fernandez Saldana’s first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony trial at the Duval County Court House in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] (Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union)

Mario Fernandez Saldana jury selection Defense attorney Jesse Dreicer, left, checks his defendant’s suit as Mario Fernandez Saldana, center, fixes his tie before the start of jury selection in his murder trial Monday morning, August 10, 2026 in the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. as his co-defense attorney James Hill, right, waits. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] (Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union)

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