Jared Bridegan
February 16, 2022
On February 16, 2022, at 7:59 p.m., Jacksonville Beach Police Department received calls reporting multiple gunshots in The Sanctuary Boulevard a residential area located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida (Duval County). One of the calls reported that a vehicle was blocking the road in the 4000 block of Sanctuary Blvd.
The caller stated that a white male was lying next to the vehicle and a toddler was crying in her car seat in the back rear of the passenger side of the vehicle. Witnesses removed the child from the vehicle.
Jared Bridegan Car
When officers arrived at 8:03 p.m., Bridegan was lying in the road with multiple appment gunshot wounds.
His vehicle was in park, running, with his hazard lights flashing.
First responding officers with JBPD attempted life-saving measures, but were unsuccessful, and Bridegan was pronounced dead on scene.
In front of Bridegan’s car, laying in the road and blocking his path of travel, was a damaged tire. The tire was placed in such a manner as to nearly block the path of travel, so that someone would have to either drive in the grass or move the tire in order to keep driving. The rim of the tire was identified as belonging to a 2004 Ford F-150 Lariat.
Jared Bridegan Body
The body was laying near the curb on the east side of the roadway.
A large pool of blood was observed to the right of the decedent’s head and had began coagulating.
Blood was visible soaking through the sheet and left hand and wrist sticking out from under the sheet resting on the left side/east curb of the roadway.
The fingers were curled inward with a silver and diamond ring which appeared to be a wedding band, on the decedent’s left ring finger, along with what appeared to be a black Apple Watch. There was what appeared to be dried blood on the hand.
The decedent’s feet were also sticking out from under the sheet. The decedent’s feet were crossed and it appeared he had been wearing one brown colored flip flop/sandal, while the other was laying nearby in the street.
The decedent’s feet were facing south and his head north.
Tire
Large tire was observed laying in the middle of the street, approximately ten to fifteen feet to the front of the vehicle. It appeared to be old and damaged.
- BF Goodrich Advantage TIA Sport LT.
- Size 265/60R 18
- DOT number- AP80 2T11
The rim is a size 18X7.5JX44. On the inside of the rim there are other numbers, C#0618043, 80471, and X5X3.
Bullets
There was two holes in the vehicle consistent with that of a projectile. One hole was in the center console/dash area to the lower right of the steering wheel.
The other appeared to be in the middle left area of the passenger side front door, under the window and close enough to cause the window glass to spider but not break out. There was several blood stains.
Casing Found
Item #1 (Underwood brand 10mm shell casing)
Item #3 (Underwood brand 10mm shell casing)
Casing Found
Item #2 (PPU brand 10mm shell casing)
Item #4 (PPU brand 10mm shell casing)
- Blood spots on the left side of the driver’s seat and interior frame of the driver side door.
- Looking into the vehicle, a small hole was observed in the center dash, with an entry point below and to the right of the steering wheel.
- The front passenger side window was shattered but still intact.
- A small hole was observed where the frame and glass meet, with a majority of the impact appearing to be in the metal frame.
- There were what appeared to be lines in the glass extending around the circumference of the center point of contact.
On the ground around the victim there was three bullet casings:
- two were north west slightly from the victim
- the other two appeared to be west and to the south slightly from the body.
- The two casings to the south of the body were in close proximity that they were easy to see and avoid.
- a silver colored projectile was located under the body.
3 projectiles were recovered.
- The first one was located on the passengers side front seat floor.
- The second projectile was located in the passengers side front door, inside the door.
- Once the body was moved and turned by the Medical Examiner a silver colored projectile was located under the body. As the Medical Examiner was assessing the body, it was observed two holes in the shirt in the area of the left shoulder.
Once the shirt was moved the hole to the left shoulder area observed. The North Florida Body removal team arrived and removed the body from the scene
Kirsten Bridegan Interview
Kirsten Bridegan founded the Bridegan Foundation in September 2022 after the tragic murder of her husband, Jared Bridegan, earlier in 2022.
7:39 PM: Kirsten stated that her brother called her at 19:39 hours. While they were talking, Jared called, and she merged him into the conversation. They all spoke for a few minutes before her brother hung up, leaving her and Jared to continue their conversation. The call with her brother lasted eight minutes, and the call with Jared did not appear on her phone log due to the merge. The conversation with Jared was on the car speaker. Jared mentioned that he had just dropped off Abigail and Liam and was on his way home. Bexley told her she was eating ice cream, and Jared clarified it was a Frosty from Wendy’s. They hung up, and when she tried to contact him later, he did not respond.
8:51 PM: Kirsten said she became worried because Jared had not yet made it home, and she began “blowing his phone up.”
Kirsten mentioned that the relationship between Jared’s ex-wife, Shanna, and her new husband, Mario Fernandez, was not a good one. She stated that Shanna was constantly filing legal actions regarding the children and often lied about Jared, portraying him as a bad father. Shanna and Mario, she said, would lie to the kids and try to make Jared look bad in their eyes. Kirsten described Mario as very controlling, trying to dictate everything.
Jared with Kids at Bearded Pigs
- 18:47 hours Jared arriving in the parking lot at Bearded Pigs Restaurant
- 18:48 hours He and the children enter the restaurant
- In the parking lot at 19:22 hours,
- 19:24 hours Subsequently leave the parking lot and heading south on 3rd Street.
Ex-Wife Shanna Gardner Interview
Detectives arrived at 15:11 Marsh Inlet Court to notify Shanna Lee Gardner, the victim’s ex-wife. contact was made with Gardner and Mario Enrique Fernando Saldana. Gardner was
informed her ex-husband, Jared Bridegan, was deceased. Gardner advised her divorce was not amicable and the two did not communicate much. Gardner stated the two would only communicate through text messages.
The only communication Gardner had with the victim was at 18:29 hours. The victim advised he was “here” to pick up his children for their date night.
Gardner advised the children went to Bearded Pig for dinner and Wendy’s for ice cream. The children were returned by the victim at 1945 hours. Gardner did not speak with the victim at this time.
Gardner stated she did not know if the victim had any issues with anyone, which would lead to his death. Gardner and Saldana advised they would be available if needed for the investigation.
Shanna Gardner Friend Interview
Saturday, February 19, 2021
At 10:31 hours, an interview with Currie was conducted in interview room #89, and it was both audio and visually recorded. Detective Cpl. Wallace was also present for the interview.
Currie stated that she left her house, located in the Marshside area, at 1950 hours. She was heading to pick up her daughter near the St. Johns Town Center. Currie mentioned that when she turned left onto the southbound lane of Sanctuary, there were two to four cars in front of her. She observed the lead vehicle, a black SUV, with its emergency lights on. She also noticed another vehicle, which she described as a “whitish, grayish, silver SUV.” Currie stated that a slender white male, wearing khaki shorts, exited this vehicle and approached the driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle. She explained that the man paused, looked into the vehicle, then stopped. He then proceeded to the passenger side of the vehicle and stopped again. Currie remarked that this behavior seemed strange to her.
Currie further described the man as wearing a baseball cap. She also observed a white four-door vehicle in front of her. A white woman exited the passenger side of this vehicle and appeared confused about what was happening. At this point, Currie decided to reverse her vehicle and leave the area via South Beach Parkway.
Currie mentioned that she knew of the victim and was friends with Shanna Gardner, his ex-wife. She also knew the victim’s older brother, though she couldn’t recall his name. Currie learned from friends that Jared Bridegan had been shot on Wednesday night.
Currie recounted that she had heard stories about the victim’s behavior from Shanna Gardner. She explained that her husband had been involved in an altercation with the victim at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Neptune Beach. Currie’s husband, who is the Bishop at the church, had to call the church’s legal services because the victim was upset that Currie and her husband had befriended Gardner. She described the victim as having a “hot head” and noted that he did not want Gardner invited to the church. However, she did not go into specifics about the argument.
Currie mentioned that Gardner had described the victim as controlling and impatient. She characterized the divorce and custody situation as contentious. Based on what she had heard about the victim, Currie speculated that his death might have been caused by road rage.
Currie went on to describe Gardner’s new husband, Mario, as nice but mentioned that she couldn’t see them becoming “best friends.” She was unsure if Mario and the victim had any negative interactions.
Jared Bridegan
Video Surveillance
Surveillance of Sanctuary Boulevard shows that vehicles freely passed through Sanctuary Boulevard before the murder, suggesting the tire in the roadway was a ruse to get Bridegan to stop.
Ford F-150 pickup truck spotted by three security cameras on Shetter Avenue. The tire found on the Road belonged to a 2004 Ford 150 Lariat. The car has running boards, brown trim, and a silver toolbox. The truck was seen driving on Shetter Ave, passing the Police department close to Shanna and Mario’s house.
Identity of Truck Owner and DNA from a tire
Henry Arthur Tenon DNA has been identified on the tire recovered from the road on which Bridegan was murdered, and Tenon admitted to owning the tire when shown a picture of it.
Investigation determined that The tire belonged to a 2004 Ford 150 Lariat. Henry Tenon drove a blue 2004 Ford 150 Lariat truck.
His DNA has been identified on the tire recovered from the road on which Bridegan was murdered, and Tenon admitted to owning the tire when shown a picture of it. Investigators gathered surveillance video from the area of the murder, and it revealed the presence of a blue-Ford-150 pickup truck.
Henry Arthur Tenon was shown surveillance pictures of the truck near the homicide scene and confined it was his truck. A surveillance picture of the truck, before the homicide, showed an item in the truck’s bed.
When shown this photograph, Henry Arthur Tenon confirmed a spare tire in the truck’s bed. Additionally, the surveillance video revealed the truck traveling to and from the area of the murder about an hour before the murder, suggesting the driver might have been practicing the route.
Security camera footage showed the truck driving in front of Bridegan’s car approximately 5 minutes before the murder and attempting to create space between the truck and Bridegan’s car – presumably in an attempt to time the placement of the tire so to block Bridegan and no other drivers.
Investigation
On June 28, investigators interviewed a friend of both Fernandez and Gardner. She recounted a conversation in which Gardner told her, “Mario offered to get four guys and break into Bridegan’s residence…to take care of him, and nobody would ever know.”
The friend also told investigators that Fernandez once told her, “You know I’ve killed people before.” She took that as a threat.
She said Gardner told her she only married Fernandez for child custody reasons, so that it would look good in court, and her parents would give her more money.
Investigators also interviewed a college friend of Fernandez, who dated him. She said Fernandez called her the night after the murder and said he knew who did it, and characterized it as a “hit and run.” She acknowledged that Mario had never made threats toward Bridegan.
On July 18, 2022, police went to a rental house in Jacksonville on Potomac Avenue owned by Fernandez, and there they talked to the current occupant and saw a spare tire leaning against the house. The renter said he’d found it on the curb and told police they could have it if they wanted.
As the detective was loading the tire into his truck, Henry Tenon drove up. There was a brief conversation about unrelated things.
Police later tested the tire and it matched the tire found at the murder scene, so they went back to Potomac Avenue. The current renter told police Tenon went to Georgia to get his father’s blue Ford pickup truck after his father died.
The investigators’ focus then narrowed onto Tenon, especially after police got hits on the truck all over Jacksonville.
January 25, 2023 – Arrests
On January 25, 2023, a significant development shook the quiet community of Jacksonville Beach. The city’s Police Department Chief, Gene Paul Smith, alongside State Attorney Melissa Nelson, held a press conference to announce a shocking arrest. Henry Arthur Tenon, a 61-year-old man, had been taken into custody. The charges against him were grave: conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, and child abuse.
The news sent ripples through the community, but the story didn’t end there.
On March 16, Tenon pleaded guilty to the charges against him. In a surprising twist, he agreed to cooperate with the authorities and testify against another individual tied to the case—Mario Fernandez Saldana.
Following a thorough investigation, arrests were made, including Henry Tenon, Fernandez Saldana, and Gardner, across multiple locations.
That same day, in Orlando, police arrested Saldana, a 34-year-old man with a deep connection to the case. Saldana was the husband of Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife, a detail that only added layers to the unfolding drama. The charges against him were even more severe than those against Tenon: first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony, and child abuse.
Arrest
Jan. 25, 2023, Jacksonville Beach PD Chief Gene Paul Smith and State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced the arrest of Henry Arthur Tenon, 61, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, and child abuse.
January 2023 Henry Tenon, 61, was arrested on Jan. 25 on charges of murder in the second degree with a weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact, and child abuse for the Feb. 16, 2022, execution in north Florida.
February 1, 2023, Melissa Nelson, State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial District, announced the major break in the case at a press conference. “We know that Tenon did not act alone,” she said. Her office formally filed the charging document against him on Feb. 1.
The document details that Tenon “on or between January 4, 2022, and February 16, 2022…did agree, conspire, combine or confederate with other human beings to, unlawfully and from a premeditated design, effect the death of Jared Bridegan.”
Henry Tenon was renting 5239 Potomac Ave Jacksonville, FL 32254 from Mario Fernandez
Mario Fernandez purchased this house on March 30, 2017, and sold this house on October 18, 2022
Henry Arthur Tenon, 61, was charged on Jan. 25 with conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, and child abuse.
Charges:
- MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE WITH A WEAPON
- CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE
- ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT (IF OFFENSE IS CAPITAL FELONY, ACCESSORY
- OFFENSE IS FIRST-DEGREE FELONY)
- CHILD ABUSE
Investigation into Bridegan’s background revealed a highly acrimonious divorce from his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and a contentious relationship with both Gardner and Fernandez Saldana. Gardner and Bridegan were married in 2010 and divorced in 2015. They shared custody of the nine-year-old twins.
Fernandez Saldana and Gardner met at her CrossFit gym in 2018, where Fernandez Saldana was a maintenance man. Up until the murder, Gardner shared equal custody of her children with Bridegan.
Affiant received Tenon’s financial records from PNC Bank on October 14, 2022. Upon conducting the initial review, three handwritten checks were discovered from Fernandez Saldana.
After receiving Tenon’s phone records:
Phone toll records showed that Tenon and Fernandez Saldana had 35 phone contacts in February, 30 in March, and 5-9 in May and June.
March 2023
Henry Tenon, a handyman for Fernandez, pleaded guilty to murdering Bridegan.
Tenon admitted his role in the killing in exchange for cooperating against Fernandez “as part of the plea agreement to testify truthfully against those he worked with to murder Jared Bridegan,” Nelson said. Tenon was promised a prison
sentence of 15 years to life. He had been charged two months earlier with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact and child abuse for his role in the slaying. He was the first suspect arrested
in the case.
Read More
Arrest
Prosecutors announced Mario Fernandez Saldana was indicted by a grand jury Thursday morning and arrested in Kissimmee, Fla. His arrest came hours after a man previously charged in Bridegan’s killing, Henry Tenon, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the crime.
Fernandez was indicted on first-degree murder, child abuse and other charges. State Attorney Nelson the “investigation remains active and ongoing and has not stopped today with the arrest of Mario Fernandez.”
Prosecutors announced Mario Fernandez Saldana was indicted by a grand jury Thursday morning and arrested in Kissimmee, Fla. His arrest came hours after a man previously charged in Bridegan’s killing, Henry Tenon, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the crime.
Fernandez was indicted on first-degree murder, child abuse and other charges.
State Attorney Nelson the “investigation remains active and ongoing and has not stopped today with the arrest of Mario Fernandez.”
Per arrest warrant:
- bank records showed three handwritten checks that Fernandez wrote to Tenon.
Phone records between Tenon and Fernandez:
- 35 phone contacts in February,
- 30 contacts in March
- 9 contacts in May and June, 2022.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson said a Fourth Circuit Grand Jury returned the following indictments against Fernandez Saldana:
- First-degree murder: Punishable by death or mandatory sentence of life in prison
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder: Punishable by up to 30 years in prison
- Solicitation to commit a capital felony: Punishable by up to 30 years in prison
- Child abuse: This charge stems from the fact that Bridegan’s then-2-year-old daughter Bexley was directly in harm’s
- way during the shooting.
The totality of evidence establishes that Fernandez Saldana was a principal to Bridegan’s murder and that Fernandez Saldana solicited, conspired with, and assisted others involved in Bridegan’s murder, and that the circumstances of the murder reasonably could have been expected to cause physical or mental injury to B.B. while she was in Bridegan’s vehicle.
Affidavit For Arrest Warrant
Mario Fernandez-Saldana Arrested, Indicted for Murder of Jared Bridegan Press Release
Shanna Gardner booked October 20, 2023, in Jacksonville, FL and charged with murdering the father of four. Prosecutors in Florida are seeking the death penalty.
Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife on first-degree murder charges in the conspiracy that led to his ambush shooting last year. A grand jury in Florida indicted Shanna Gardner and was later arrested in Washington state and charged with murder
in FL
Shanna Gardner — has now been charged with murdering the father of four. Prosecutors in Florida are seeking the death penalty.
Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife on first-degree murder charges in the conspiracy that led to his ambush shooting last year.
A grand jury in Florida indicted Shanna Gardner and was later arrested in Washington state.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents arrested her in West Richland, Washington, where she moved with the twins she shared with Bridegan. ATF’s Jacksonville field office had been assisting Jacksonville Beach Police Department detectives since early in the investigation.
Gardner will be extradited to Duval County to face the charges which also include a solicitation to commit first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and child abuse.
Mario’s indictment said he plotted the murder within the four months leading to Bridgegan’s death, but Garnder’s indictment said she may have been scheming to kill Bridegan as early as May 2015 a few months before their divorce was finalized.