Fernandez Saldana and Gardner met at CrossFit gym in 2018, where he was a maintenance man. He also was the subject of a Jacksonville Beach incident because a neighbor felt he was intimidating her because she feeds stray cats that he didn’t like. She said he intentionally walked his pit bull right up to where she was feeding them, according to the 2018 incident report.

Arrests:

Tenon pleaded guilty on March 16 and agreed to testify against Mario Fernandez Saldana, who was arrested that same day in Orlando. The 34-year-old husband of Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse.

• “Tenon’s cooperation has both corroborated evidence collected during the investigation and provided additional evidence against Mario Fernandez Saldana for his role in the planning and execution of Jared’s murder,”
• Nelson said Tenon was a former tenant of a rental property Fernandez Saldana owned. “Henry Tenon has admitted that he was, in fact, the shooter,“

Aug. 17, 2023, Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Lee Gardner (who at the time went Shanna Gardner Fernandez), was indicted on the same charges. She was arrested in the state of Washington where she was living. Nelson said prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against her and Fernandez Saldana.

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.”

Timeline: Affidavit for Arrest of Mario Fernandez

February 15, 2022

• Jared Bridegan is ambushed and shot multiple times in front of his 2-year-old daughter in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
• A tire was deliberately placed in the road to lure him out of his vehicle.

March 2022 – April 2022

• Detectives collect surveillance video, witness accounts, and analyze Bridegan’s phone data.
• Investigation establishes the murder was a targeted ambush.

October 2022

• Investigators learn that Henry Tenon rented a home owned by Mario Fernandez, the second husband of Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner.

January 25, 2023

• Henry Tenon is arrested and charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and child abuse.
• He later admits his involvement and implicates Mario Fernandez as a co-conspirator.

March 16, 2023

• Arrest warrant issued for Mario Fernandez.
• Fernandez is taken into custody in Orlando, Florida.
• He is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony, and child abuse .

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

Indictment  Source

February 16, 2022

• Detectives begin intensive investigation after Jared Bridegan’s murder the night before in Jacksonville Beach.
• Crime scene evidence confirms Bridegan was forced to stop because of a tire placed in the road.

February – March 2022

• Law enforcement gathers surveillance footage from nearby businesses and homes.
• Witness statements confirm a suspicious vehicle in the area.

Spring–Summer 2022

• Detectives trace activity surrounding possible suspects.
• Focus begins to shift toward Bridegan’s ex-wife’s circle, including Mario Fernandez, her second husband.

October 2022

• Investigators discover Henry Tenon rented a home owned by Mario Fernandez.
• The landlord–tenant connection becomes a key link in the conspiracy.

November – December 2022

• Investigators gather phone records and financial records.
• Evidence begins showing communication between Fernandez and Tenon before and after the murder.

January 25, 2023

• Henry Tenon arrested: charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and child abuse.
• Tenon confesses involvement in Bridegan’s ambush.
• He admits Fernandez solicited and conspired with him to carry out the crime.

Early February 2023

• Tenon agrees to cooperate with investigators.
• Provides detailed information on planning, communications, and Fernandez’s role.

March 16, 2023

• Mario Fernandez arrested in Orlando.
• Charges filed:
• First-degree murder
• Conspiracy to commit murder
• Solicitation to commit a capital felony
• Child abuse
• Affidavit outlines Fernandez as the planner and organizer, with Tenon as the gunman.