US News
Florida jury begins deliberations in trial over 2022 killing of Microsoft manager
Mario Fernandez Saldana faces first-degree murder charges in an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving his wife and a former tenant.
The short version
- A Florida jury has begun deliberating the murder trial of Mario Fernandez Saldana, who is charged with first-degree murder and solicitation in the 2022 fatal shooting of Jared Bridegan.
- Prosecutors contend Fernandez Saldana and his estranged wife, Shanna Gardner, arranged the killing following a contentious child custody dispute with Bridegan.
- The defense argues that Fernandez Saldana had no clear motive and gained no personal benefit from Bridegan's death.
- The jury must weigh the evidence while separate trials for co-defendants Gardner and alleged gunman Henry Tenon are scheduled for later dates.
Key facts
- Jared Bridegan was shot and killed in February 2022 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, after stopping his vehicle to move a tire left in the road.[Associated Press]
- Mario Fernandez Saldana is charged with first-degree murder and solicitation of murder in connection with Bridegan's death.[Associated Press]
- Prosecutors allege the killing was a murder-for-hire plot tied to an ongoing custody dispute between Bridegan and his former wife, Shanna Gardner, who is married to Fernandez Saldana.[Associated Press]
- Alleged gunman Henry Tenon was a former tenant of Fernandez Saldana and received three checks totaling $10,000 after the killing, while his DNA was found on the tire left in the road.[Associated Press]
- Shanna Gardner's murder trial is set to begin in September, while Henry Tenon backed out of a plea agreement to testify and will stand trial next year.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unknown when the jury will reach a verdict in Mario Fernandez Saldana's trial.[Associated Press]