JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife is set to appear in court in Washington on Friday afternoon, one day after she was arrested in the murder-for-hire plot to kill Bridegan in February 2022.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced Thursday that Shanna Gardner, who also goes by Gardner-Fernandez, is facing charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder, and child abuse.
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Gardner’s indictment shows that she had been conspiring to commit Bridegan’s murder as far back as May 2015.
READ THE INDICTMENT BELOW
Gardner, Shanna Indictment - Redacted by ActionNewsJax on Scribd
She was arrested by ATF agents in West Richland, Washington. Online jail records showed that she was being held by the Benton County Corrections Department in Washington. Per Washington state records, Gardner’s mugshot will not be released.
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Gardner is set to appear in court at 1:15 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, which is 4:15 p.m. Eastern time. She will be extradited to Duval County, Nelson said.
Nelson said her office will file a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Gardner.
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The crime
Bridegan was gunned down Feb. 16, 2022, in Jacksonville Beach after taking his twins he shared with Gardner, and his then-2-year-old Bexley, his daughter with second wife Kirsten Bridegan, to dinner.
The software engineer had just dropped off the twins at Gardner’s house when he encountered a tire on Sanctuary Boulevard, a one-way road. He was headed home to Kirsten Bridegan, with whom he shared children Bexley and London.
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Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said during the announcement of the first arrest in January, that “the tire was purposely placed there to make him stop which he did.”
“Tragically he began to exit his vehicle to move the tire and he was gunned down in cold blood,” Smith said at that time.
Bridegan was shot several times while Bexley was still strapped into a car seat in the back seat of his car.
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The other arrests
Before Thursday’s announcement, two other people were arrested in the murder-for-hire plot to kill Bridegan, a St. Johns County father of 4.
Mario Fernandez Saldana was arrested in March on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, child abuse, and solicitation to commit a capital felony. Fernandez Saldana is the current husband of Gardner.
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Henry Tenon, 61, was arrested in January in connection to Bridegan’s murder. He was arrested in January on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, child abuse, and second-degree murder
Tenon, who rented a home from Fernandez Saldana, agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder. That means Tenon faces 15 years to life in prison, but not the death penalty.
Nelson said Thursday that Tenon did not act alone in Bridegan’s murder and Fernandez Saldana did not plan it alone. She said Thursday’s briefing would be her last public update on the case.
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“Shanna Gardner’s indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated, and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan,” Nelson said Thursday.
Gardner’s parents Shelli and Sterling Gardner released the following statement:
“Words cannot accurately express the depth of our sadness. Family is our top priority. We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time. For their sake and all involved, we caution against further speculation and request privacy as the legal process runs its course. In the meantime, we are thankful for the continued support, thoughtfulness and prayers being so generously shared by friends and loved ones.”
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