JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Duval County court judge ruled Thursday that the widow of Jared Bridegan will have to turn over her phone to the attorneys for Bridegan’s ex-wife Shanna Gardner – who is one of three people charged with Bridegan’s murder.
Jared Bridegan was ambushed, shot, and killed in 2022 in Jacksonville Beach.
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Investigators believe it was Gardner and her new husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana, who is now on trial, who hired a hit man to carry out the murder.
The attorney for Kirsten Bridegan, Bridegan’s widow, believes this ruling is a violation of her privacy.
He made that point very clear in this hearing and several hearings that happened before today.
He said Kirsten Bridegan’s husband was killed, she is a victim, and she’s a witness in the trial, seeking justice for her husband.
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The debate between Kirsten Bridegan’s and Shanna Gardner’s attorneys has been heated.
Judge London Kite asked Kirsten Bridegan’s attorney how they could come to terms to honor the ruling that she would have to hand over some phone data.
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Kite agreed that Kirsten Bridegan does have privacy rights.
And if she was solely a victim and not a witness in the trial, Kite said she doesn’t know that she would have granted the subpoenas.
But because of the 5th and 6th amendments, they had to come to a conclusion.
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She offered several options, including Kirsten Bridegan being allowed to go through the phone extraction and take out what she felt violated her privacy.
Her lawyer did not agree to that.
Judge Kite: “I’ll overrule the objection, Ms. Bridegan turns her phone over at 9 a.m. tomorrow.”
Attorney: “We want to be heard prior to anything going to the defense.”
Kite: “OK.”
In addition to Kirsten Bridegan’s lawyer taking a look at the content, the judge will do her own review of the data in her chambers before it’s given to the defense.
You can watch the hearing as it aired on the Action News Jax YouTube channel below:
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