Trial Starting After Microsoft Exec's Alleged Murder-for-Hire Involving Ex-Wife

A Florida man faces trial Monday, accused of orchestrating the murder of a Microsoft design manager in a suspected murder-for-hire plot involving his ex-wife. Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2022 fatal shooting of Jared Bridegan, 33, outside his vehicle in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The victim's 2-year-old child was in the car at the time of the attack.

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I am so sorry that once you had found happiness and fulfillment in life, your life was taken from you.

Investigators allege the ambush was meticulously planned, with a tire placed in the road to stop Bridegan's car. Authorities believe the scheme was devised by Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, 39, and Saldana, who was her husband at the time. Gardner, arrested in August 2023, faces charges including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is scheduled for September.

Bridegan and Gardner divorced in 2015, but their relationship was marked by years of acrimony over child custody. A judge noted evidence suggesting Gardner "hated Mr. Bridegan, hated having to share custody of the children with him and wanted him dead." The alleged gunman, Henry Tenon, 65, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2023 and agreed to testify against Saldana. However, Tenon withdrew his plea and will face his own trial in 2027. Authorities stated Tenon received at least $10,000 from Gardner and Saldana after Bridegan's death.

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But I am so grateful I got to be part of those short years and that we shared so much happiness before it was too late.

Bridegan, who was driving home with one of his children after a "date night" with them, was described by Jacksonville Beach Police Department Chief Gene Paul Smith as a victim of a "planned, targeted ambush and murder." Bridegan had previously worked as chief technology officer at Clean Simple Eats before his role at Microsoft. Jury selection for Saldana's trial concluded last week, with a final panel of 12 jurors and four alternates chosen.

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This was a planned, targeted ambush and murder.