JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The husband in the couple accused in a 2022 murder for hire plot against a St. Johns County Microsoft Executive was once again in Duval County Court Tuesday morning.
Mario Fernandez Saldana is accused of hiring hitman Henry Tenon to kill his wife Shana Gardner’s ex-husband Jared Bridegan.
Judge London Kite denied and granted some pre-trial motions in the Mario Fernandez Saldana case, ahead of jury selection next week.
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Fernandez Saldana was up first on the docket, led into court in his usual olive inmate jumpsuit.
The defendant’s notice to take what’s called “judicial notice” was denied.
The judge granted, without prejudice, Fernandez Saldana’s motion to prevent the introduction of hearsay and impermissible testimony regarding a statement made by Shana Gardner to her friend Kim Jensen.
Judge Kite found that marital privilege applies to that statement.
“Based on the court, based on the information that the court has at the time the court is going to grant the motion in lemony, but that grant is without prejudice for the state to if you wanna make a showing outside of the presence of the jury that there isn’t a expectation of privacy but the court does find that marital privilege does apply to that statement” Kite explained.
The remainder of the hearing dealt with what evidence both sides agreed on, including jury selection, the format of a jury selection questionnaire and the daily juror schedule for trial.
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Mario Fernandez Saldana is accused of hiring hitman Henry Tenon to shoot and kill his estranged wife Shana Gardner’s first husband Jared Bridegan. Prosecutors believe that in 2022 Tenon placed a tire on a Jacksonville Beach roadway where Bridegan was driving.
When Bridegan got out of his car to remove the tire, Tenon allegedly shot him to death while Bridegan’s 2-year-old daughter Bexley sat in the backseat of his car.
Jury selection for Fernandez Saldana begins August 10.
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