JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Motions to disqualify Judge London Kite from presiding over matters involving Kirsten Bridegan have been denied.
The motion, filed on September 9, stemmed from an indirect criminal contempt proceeding Judge Kite initiated against Bridegan on August 21.
The contempt charge arose after Bridegan did not turn over her personal cellphone to be searched by the defense team for Shanna Gardner.
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Gardner is charged with the murder of Bridegan’s husband, Jared Bridegan.
Jared Bridegan was found dead in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022. He got out of his car to move a tire from the road and was shot. The 2-year-old daughter he shares with Kirsten was in the back seat of his car.
Gardner is Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife. Gardner and her current husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, are accused of hiring a man named Henry Tenon to kill Jared Bridegan after a contentious custody battle over the children he shared with Gardner.
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Fernandez has already been found guilty of that crime. He was convicted of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony on August 26. Gardner is still awaiting trial.
The dispute over Kirsten’s cell phone began in July 2026. Gardner’s attorneys wanted access to her communications. Judge Kite ordered that Bridegan surrender her phone to a forensic firm retained by Gardner’s defense team. Bridegan refused and instead filed an emergency petition with an appeals court.
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Bridegan’s attorneys argue that as a victim of a crime, her privacy should be protected under Marsy’s Law.
And while the appeal is still open, the motions to disqualify Judge Kite have been denied. Documents called the motions “legally insufficient”.
Shanna Gardner is due in court again on October 27.
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