JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The trial of Shanna Gardner has been pushed to May, Judge London Kite announced on Thursday afternoon.
Gardner is one of three suspects charged in the 2022 murder of Jared Bridegan, her ex-husband with whom she shared twins.
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Mario Fernandez Saldana, Gardner’s estranged husband, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday in Bridegan’s murder.
Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler mentioned new charges that Fernandez Saldana is now facing.
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 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.
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The man accused of pulling the trigger in Bridegan’s murder, Henry Tenon, was set to go to trial in March.
The plan now is for the state to issue a new indictment leading to a single trial where Gardner and Tenon are on trial at the same time in May.
Kite laid out the following new schedule for the trials:
- May 3: 9:00 a.m., Jury selection begins
- May 10: Trial, Week 1
- May 17: Trial, Week 2
- May 24: Trial, Week 3
Gardner’s next pretrial hearing is set for October 27 at 9 a.m.
The killing of Jared Bridegan
Jared Bridegan, a St. Johns County father of four, 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.
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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. He’s accused of hiring Henry Tenon to kill Jared Bridegan.
In July 2026, two of the charges Fernandez Saldana was facing, child abuse and conspiracy to commit murder, were dropped. He has pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges he’s facing. 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 both charges.
Henry Tenon’s arrest in connection to Bridegan’s murder was announced in January 2023. He was arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, child abuse, and second-degree murder. 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. He is now set to go to trial in March 2027.
Shanna Gardner was arrested in August 2023 in Washington and is facing charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder, and child abuse. She has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
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