Man convicted in murder-for-hire plot linked to ex-wife in Microsoft executive's death

A Florida jury convicted Mario Fernandez Saldana of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder in a plot to kill Microsoft design manager Jared Bridegan. Bridegan was fatally shot four years ago as he removed a tire from the road in Jacksonville Beach, an attack that initially baffled investigators.

Prosecutors presented the case as a "targeted ambush" hatched by Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and Saldana. They argued the motive stemmed from years of post-marriage conflict over religion and child-rearing for their twins. Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler told jurors that Bridegan was "unarmed, unaware, exposed, vulnerable" during the attack in February 2022, suggesting the architects of his murder had been preparing for months.

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He certainly gained no benefit from the death of Jared Bridegan.

The defense contended that Saldana had no motive, pointing to his estrangement from Gardner and her move to Washington state after the killing. Defense attorney Jesse Dreicer argued that Saldana gained no benefit from Bridegan's death and that no testimony indicated Saldana believed Bridegan "deserves to die."

Evidence presented included three checks totaling $10,000 written to Henry Tenon, the alleged gunman, after the homicide, marked as payments for handyman work. Tenon's DNA was found on the rim of the tire intentionally placed in the road. Tenon, who had initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Saldana, later withdrew his plea and faces trial next year. Shanna Gardner, Bridegan's ex-wife, is scheduled to stand trial in September.

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unarmed, unaware, exposed, vulnerable. He couldn't have known, on that cold asphalt in February of 2022, the architects of his murder had been making preparations for his death for months.