JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Exactly two years ago Friday, a St. Johns County father of four stopped on a dark stretch of road in Jacksonville Beach after dropping off his twins with his ex-wife.
There was a tire in the road, blocking Jared Bridegan’s way.
But when the 33-year-old got out of his SUV to move it, he was ambushed — shot multiple times at close range. His then-2-year-old daughter was inside the SUV, and bullets that missed her father came inches from the toddler’s car seat.
New evidence released in the case this week shows grainy images captured that fateful night. Investigators said one video screenshot shows Henry Tenon, the man who later pleaded guilty to pulling the trigger, walking from the scene of the murder minutes after the shooting.
As part of his plea deal, Tenon has agreed to testify against the others involved in what investigators say was a murder-for-hire plot. The newly released 800 pages of evidence show that investigators identified four other suspects — with Bridegan’s ex-wife Shanna Gardner and her estranged husband Mario Fernandez at the top of the list.
“As I learned more details of what happened to Jared. You know, that there’s a tire, it’s pretty clear that someone knew his route, his schedule. I have felt since the beginning that this was planned, this was thought out and this was specific to Jared,” Kirsten Bridegan, Jared’s widow, said in January 2023.
Gardner and Fernandez now face charges of first-degree murder with a weapon, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse (because Bridegan’s daughter was present during the murder).
The pair will be back in court Friday for what’s expected to be a brief pre-trial hearing.
Bridegan’s loved ones, who have faced his accused killers at every court appearance, are expected to be back in court Friday — on the somber anniversary of his murder.
The names of the two other people believed to have been somehow involved in Bridegan’s death were redacted in the recently released documents. Neither has been charged in the case.
A warrant states that one of the unnamed conspirators was a former reserve police officer who is also a convicted felon. That man was known to own a 10mm handgun and Bridegan was killed with a 10mm handgun, but the murder weapon was never recovered, according to the evidence.
When investigators interviewed the former reserve officer and asked to see his gun, he said he didn’t know where it was.
The warrant also said a relative of Bridegan told investigators that Gardner had commented about “hiring a hitman to take Bridegan out” back in 2017. The relative said Gardner “hated” Bridegan and was “frustrated by their custody arrangement and their differences in parenting choice.”
Fernandez was quoted as saying “the kids were better off with Bridegan out of the picture.”
The warrant explains how investigators hoped the announcement of the arrest of Tenon would “trigger communications” among the other suspects that would allow investigators to “discern the role each played in the conspiracy,” and “capture communications of evidentiary value.”
“If you knew Jared, you know he would not give up. He would not give up until our family gets justice,” Adam Bridegan, Jared’s brother, said in August 2023.
MORE: Wiretap, phone searches among key evidence in Jared Bridegan murder investigation
Investigators noted that the remaining targets were trying to obstruct the investigation with false and misleading statements. They noted that both Fernandez and Gardner quickly requested attorneys. The warrant says there was both electronic and undercover surveillance on them.
Gardner’s attorneys are asking for the court to give her a bond so she can get out of jail while waiting for trial. Both defendants’ attorneys are also asking to remove the 4th Judicial Circuit as prosecutors, citing an accidental confidentiality breach.
New court filings show Gardner’s attorneys have subpoenaed Walmart for five different store receipts. They’ve also subpoenaed Publix, demanding Gardner’s employment records, including time sheets.
In a separate case, Bridegan’s parents are asking for visitation rights with his twins — who are living with Gardner’s parents in Washington State.
“It’s been incredibly devastating because there’s been that separation,” Ashley Bridegan, Jared’s sister, told News4JAX.
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