JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mario Fernandez-Saldana was sentenced Thursday to spend the rest of his life behind bars for hiring a hitman in the 2022 murder of Jared Bridegan, the ex-husband of his now-estranged wife.
Circuit Judge London Kite delivered the life sentence at the Duval County Courthouse after denying a motion by the defense seeking a new trial.
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Following the denial of that motion, six members of Bridegan’s family delivered victim impact statements inside the courtroom.
Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten Bridegan, spoke emotionally about her late husband and described how their young daughter, who was present when Bridegan was killed, continues to suffer from the traumatic night.
“Even our 7-year-old daughter, who was forced to witness her father’s murder at the young age of two, has a clear moral compass than the adult sitting there, convicted and taking his life. When I asked her what she wanted me to tell the court, she simply said he is mean, and he shouldn’t have done it,” Bridegan said during her impact statement.
Bridegan also spoke about the state’s decision to withdraw the death penalty against Fernandez-Saldana and co-defendant Shanna Gardner-Fernandez. She explained that her support for removing capital punishment was motivated entirely by the needs of Bridegan’s surviving children.
“The only reason I supported the withdrawal of the death penalty for Mario and his wife was because of the compassion I have for Jared’s two oldest children,” Bridegan said, noting that the defendants failed to demonstrate similar empathy toward the family. “Compassion that, in my experience, neither Mario nor his wife has ever shown them.
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