JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of Jared Bridegan is filing a lawsuit to see his older two children.
Action News Jax first told you in February 2022 when Bridegan, a St. Johns County father of four, was shot and killed in Jacksonville Beach.
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Following Bridegan’s murder, his ex-wife Shanna Gardner received sole custody of their now 11-year-old twins, a boy and girl, and moved them to Washington state.
That’s where Gardner was arrested in August on charges in Bridegan’s murder. Her parents then received custody of the twins.
The lawsuit is to help Bridegan’s parents get a court order for unsupervised visitation rights.
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Only Action News Jax spoke to Bridegan’s sister Ashley on Monday about the situation.
“They said that all they wanted for Christmas was their dad back,” she said. “Being away from our family for so long and their friendships that they’ve formed in Washington and so we want to do what’s best for the kids. You know if the kids want to be with us, we want that, if the kids are happy there, then we want a relationship with them.”
Bridegan also had two younger children with his second wife, Kirsten Bridegan.
The four siblings have been separated since the twins went to Washington state.
The Bridegan family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with their legal expenses. Click here to learn more.
The crime
Jared Bridegan was gunned down Feb. 16, 2022, in Jacksonville Beach. He had just taken his twins he shared with Gardner, and his then-2-year-old Bexley, his daughter with 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 his second wife, Kirsten Bridegan, with whom he shared children Bexley and London.
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.”
JUNE 2022 INTERVIEW: ‘Wish it weren’t like this’: Ex-wife of Jared Bridegan, father killed in Jacksonville Beach, speaks
“Tragically he began to exit his vehicle to move the tire and he was gunned down in cold blood,” Smith said.
Bridegan was shot several times while Bexley was still strapped into a car seat in the back seat of Bridegan’s car.
The arrests
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.
The arrest of Henry Tenon, 61, in connection to Bridegan’s murder was announced in January 2023. He was arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, child abuse, and second-degree murder
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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.
Gardner was arrested in August in Washington and is facing charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder, and child abuse.
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