WATCH: Jury finds Mario Fernandez Saldana guilty in the murder of Jared Bridegan
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It took just under four hours of deliberation on Wednesday for a jury to find Mario Fernandez Saldana guilty of orchestrating the 2022 murder of his then-wife’s ex-husband, Jared Bridegan.
Fernandez, 38, was convicted of both first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony, following a seven-day trial at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville.
The reading of the verdict happened fairly quickly, taking less than 10 minutes from the moment Judge London Kite announced a verdict had been reached to the moment Fernandez was escorted out of the courtroom.
Flanked by his attorneys, Fernandez showed little emotion when the verdict was read. Bridegan’s family members, on the other hand, were not so stoic. A few of them — including Kristen Bridegan, Jared’s widow — could be seen in the gallery wiping away tears.
Jared Bridegan, a 33-year-old Microsoft senior design manager and father of four, was shot and killed on Feb. 15, 2022, in Jacksonville Beach. He was on his way home after dropping off his twins at their mother’s house when he came upon a tire in the roadway.
As Jared stopped his vehicle and got out to move the tire, someone opened fire. Jared was shot multiple times and died at the scene. His 2-year-old daughter, whom he shared with Kristen, was in the vehicle at the time but was not injured.
Over the course of the trial, prosecutors called multiple witnesses who detailed evidence showing how Fernandez hired Henry Tenon, a 62-year-old man who had been renting a house from him, to set a trap for Jared with the tire and then shoot him dead.
Prosecutors said Fernandez paid Tenon at least $10,000 to commit the crime, and did so because Fernandez’s wife, Shanna Gardner, wanted her former husband dead. Gardner and Bridegan shared twins, and witnesses testified to a very contentious co-parenting arrangement between the two.
Prosecutors also presented evidence showing Gardner stood to regain control of the financial trust her parents had established for her once she had “no further legal entanglements with her former husband.” Evidence also showed that Fernandez received a large amount of money after Jared died and Gardner had regained control of her trust. Fernandez and Gardner then parted ways, and Gardner moved to Washington state.
Gardner is also charged with first-degree murder, and jury selection for her trial is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Tenon, who initially pleaded guilty to the crime, formally withdrew his plea earlier this year and will face trial on the same charge in early 2027.
As for Fernandez, he will be sentenced to life in prison. A first-degree murder conviction is a capital felony in Florida that carries with it a mandatory life sentence.
Fernandez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5 at 9 a.m. EDT.
This story was originally published at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday and has been updated.