JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mario Fernandez Saldana, the man found guilty in the 2022 murder of Jared Bridegan, appeared in court Thursday on child sex crimes charges and on a motion for a new trial for his charges in Bridegan’s murder.
Fernandez Saldana was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on August 27, one day after he was convicted in Bridegan’s murder. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.
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Judge London Kite on Thursday granted a waiver for a speedy trial on Fernandez Saldana’s lewd and lascivious molestation charges. His next pretrial for those charges is on December 2.
From there, court proceeded into Kite’s consideration for Fernandez Saldana’s motion for a new trial. That is still ongoing and you can watch that live:
Fernandez Saldana was found guilty in Bridegan’s murder after four hours of deliberations on August 26.
The new charges Fernandez Saldana faces are one of the reasons his estranged wife, Shanna Gardner, asked for and was granted a continuance for her trial in Bridegan’s murder.
Gardner and suspected gunman Henry Tenon are now tentatively scheduled to go on trial at the same time in May for Bridegan’s murder.
The killing of Jared Bridegan
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 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
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.
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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.
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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