Florida Jury Convicts Mario Fernandez Saldana in Jared Bridegan's 2022 Murder

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 26

A Florida jury on Wednesday found Mario Fernandez Saldana guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony in the 2022 ambush killing of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan.
Prosecutors said Bridegan, 33, was lured into stopping on a dark Jacksonville Beach road by a tire left in the street, then shot at close range in a plot tied to a bitter custody dispute.
Jurors were shown footage of a black Volkswagen Atlas near the scene, a figure prosecutors identified as the suspect running away, and nearby camera audio that captured gunshots.
Bridegan's 2-year-old daughter was in the back seat during the February 2022 shooting but was uninjured.
Fernandez Saldana and Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, were indicted on the same charges after 2023 arrests, with a judge ordering separate trials; prosecutors say they hired Henry Tenon as the gunman.