The widow of slain Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan came face to face Monday with the man accused of helping to plan his killing, recounting the bitter custody conflict and final phone call that preceded the roadside ambush.
Kirsten Bridegan took the witness stand as Mario Fernandez Saldana’s murder trial got underway in Florida.
Prosecutors allege Fernandez Saldana helped plan and finance the killing and that Henry Tenon was the gunman. Fernandez Saldana has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say the state cannot prove he solicited or intended Bridegan’s death.
Kirsten’s testimony detailed a fractured co-parenting relationship among Bridegan, his ex-wife Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana.
"There’s absolutely no trust," Kirsten told jurors, saying the families relied almost entirely on texts and emails to communicate.
Kirsten described disputes over parenting time, medical expenses, schooling and religious decisions involving Bridegan’s twins. Prosecutors say the years-long conflict helped fuel the alleged murder-for-hire plot.
Bridegan, 33, had just dropped off the twins after taking them and his daughter Bexley to dinner when the ambush unfolded, prosecutors say. Kirsten testified that the Wednesday outing was a long-standing routine, Bexley always went with him and Bridegan typically drove the black Volkswagen Atlas.
Kirsten said she spoke to Bridegan after he dropped off the twins and Bexley excitedly told her they had gotten ice cream. The call then ended in an unusual silence, she testified.
"It was strange. I remember feeling like it was strange because after I was like, ‘All right, well, love you, I’ll see you soon.’ He was just quiet," she said. "I was like, ‘Okay, it’s kind of weird,’ and hung up, but it was like a pause and just quiet."
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When Bridegan did not return home, she began calling and drove toward Jacksonville Beach with her mother until a police officer answered her husband’s phone and directed her to the police station.
Officers initially would not tell her what had happened, Kirsten testified. She said they questioned her about Bridegan before eventually informing her that he had been shot and killed.
The case has since produced three arrests, a withdrawn cooperation plea and a series of separate trials. Here is a timeline of Bridegan’s killing, the family conflict behind the allegations and the court proceedings ahead.
Gardner-Fernandez filed for divorce from Bridegan after five years of marriage. The couple shared twins and eventually reached a joint-custody agreement.
The divorce did not end their disputes. They continued fighting in family court over matters including custody, child support and where their children would attend school. Prosecutors later described that prolonged conflict as central to the alleged motive.
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Bridegan married Kirsten Bridegan in 2017. The couple later had two children, Bexley and London.
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Kirsten became a prominent voice for Bridegan’s family after his killing, seeking answers as authorities investigated the roadside ambush. She has said the family would not rest until everyone involved was held accountable.
Gardner-Fernandez met Fernandez Saldana at a CrossFit gym, where he worked in maintenance. The two later married.
Prosecutors allege Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana planned and financed a murder-for-hire plot against Bridegan.
Bridegan had taken his twins and Bexley to dinner before dropping off the older children at Gardner-Fernandez’s home. About three miles away, he encountered a tire placed in the middle of a dark, secluded Jacksonville Beach road, prosecutors say.
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Bridegan stepped out of his Volkswagen Atlas to move the tire at about 7:30 p.m. and was repeatedly shot, authorities said. Bexley, then 2, remained strapped into her car seat as bullets entered the SUV. A passerby pulled her from the vehicle about three minutes later.
Authorities arrested Tenon nearly a year after Bridegan’s killing. He was charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact and child abuse.
Prosecutors later alleged Tenon was the gunman in a murder-for-hire plot. Investigators said the key link between Tenon and Bridegan was Fernandez Saldana, who had rented a Jacksonville home to Tenon and hired him for work at rental properties.
Tenon initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under a cooperation agreement that called for him to testify against others accused in the case. The deal exposed him to a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
Tenon later withdrew the plea and cooperation agreement, altering the path of the prosecution. He is now scheduled to face a separate trial.
Authorities arrested Fernandez Saldana in Orlando shortly after Tenon’s initial plea hearing. Bridegan’s ex-wife’s husband was charged with first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
Prosecutors said Tenon’s cooperation corroborated evidence that Fernandez Saldana helped plan and execute Bridegan’s killing. Investigators also cited checks Fernandez Saldana wrote to Tenon and phone records showing the men communicated dozens of times around the killing.
Authorities arrested Gardner-Fernandez and charged Bridegan’s ex-wife with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and child endangerment in the alleged plot.
Prosecutors allege Gardner-Fernandez, Fernandez Saldana and Tenon played distinct roles in a planned killing. Gardner-Fernandez has denied the allegations.
Judge London Kite ordered Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana to stand trial separately after Tenon withdrew his plea and cooperation agreement.
The ruling reshaped the state’s prosecution, leaving prosecutors to try the three defendants individually, beginning with Fernandez Saldana.
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A jury was selected in Duval County, Florida, for Fernandez Saldana’s trial. The panel will hear the first of the related prosecutions to reach trial.
The selection process followed years of investigation and pretrial litigation, including the reversal of Tenon’s cooperation agreement.
Prosecutors told jurors Fernandez Saldana helped plan and finance Bridegan’s killing as part of a murder-for-hire plot rooted in the custody conflict between Bridegan and Gardner-Fernandez.
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Fernandez Saldana’s attorneys argue the state cannot prove he solicited or intended Bridegan’s murder. They contend payments to Tenon were for work and say no physical or forensic evidence places Fernandez Saldana at the scene.
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Jury selection in Gardner-Fernandez’s case is scheduled to begin Aug. 31. Her case will proceed separately from Fernandez Saldana’s trial.
The process will determine the panel that hears the second prosecution stemming from Bridegan’s killing.
Gardner-Fernandez’s trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. She faces charges tied to prosecutors’ allegation that Bridegan’s death was a planned murder-for-hire plot.
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Her defense will be able to challenge the state’s account of the custody conflict, the alleged plot and any evidence linking Gardner-Fernandez to the killing.
Tenon’s jury selection is scheduled to begin March 29, 2027. His trial is expected to follow the cases against Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana.
Tenon’s case is the final scheduled prosecution in the alleged plot.