A jury in Florida found Mario Fernández Saldana guilty of first-degree murder and instigation of the crime for the death of Jared Bridegan, a senior design manager at Microsoft who was killed in an ambush in 2022, as reported by .
Bridegan, 33 years old and father of four children, was shot in Jacksonville Beach after getting out of his vehicle to remove a tire deliberately placed in the road. He was returning home after dropping off his twins with his ex-wife.
One of the most harrowing elements of the crime was that his two-year-old daughter was inside the car when her father was murdered.
Fernández Saldana, 38 years old, was then married to Shanna Gardner, the ex-wife of Bridegan. Prosecutors argue that both were the "architects" of a murder-for-hire, while a third defendant, Henry Tenon, is alleged to have been the shooter.
The motive, according to the accusation, would be linked to "years of animosity" and a fierce dispute over the custody of the twins that Bridegan had with Gardner.
The evidence that led to the verdict
Deputy Attorney Christina Stifler stated that Fernández Saldana maintained frequent communications with Tenon before the murder, gave him at least $10,000 after the crime, and assisted in obtaining the weapon.
The investigators also found a tire at a rental property owned by Fernández Saldana, where Tenon had lived, which, according to the allegations, had been deliberately placed on the road to force Bridegan to stop. Tenon's DNA was also found on it.
"They found the killer through Mario Fernández, not independently. He is the connection in all of this," Stifler stated during the trial.
The prosecution also stated that Fernández Saldana deleted the contents of his phone after Tenon's arrest and attempted to sell the property linked to the investigation.
The defense argued, for its part, that there was no direct evidence against its client and that he had no motives or would gain any benefit from Bridegan's death. Fernández Saldana pleaded not guilty and did not testify.
"Justice has been partially served."
After the verdict was announced, Kirsten Bridegan, widow of Jared, expressed relief, although she noted that there are still other pending proceedings.
"In that courtroom, the truth was revealed; the jury saw that truth and acted accordingly," he stated. "Partial justice has been served, and we hope that full justice will be achieved."
Fernández Saldana faces a mandatory life sentence, as the prosecution has withdrawn its request for the death penalty.
The case, however, is not over yet. Shanna Gardner is accused of conspiring to murder her ex-husband and her trial is scheduled for September.
Henry Tenon, identified as the alleged perpetrator of the shooting, will be tried in 2027. He initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was set to testify as a co-defendant in the trials of Fernández Saldana and Gardner. However, he later retracted his guilty plea and informed his lawyer that he would not testify, according to a court document.
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