Mario Fernandez convicted of murder in ambush killing of Jared Bridegan, Jacksonville

A Florida jury found Mario Fernandez guilty of first-degree murder after 3½ hours of deliberation in the 2022 ambush shooting of Jared Bridegan.

Jacksonville man convicted of murder-for-hire in 2022 ambush shooting of Jared Bridegan

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that Mario Fernandez, 38, has been found guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony in the fatal ambush shooting of Jared Bridegan, the ex-husband of Fernandez's wife, Shanna Gardner.

Bridegan, a 33-year-old Microsoft design manager and father of four, was shot and killed on 16 February 2022 after stopping his Volkswagen Atlas SUV to remove a tyre that had been placed in the road. Two bullets struck the vehicle, narrowly missing his 2-year-old daughter, Bexley, who was strapped into her car seat at the time.

The jury deliberated for approximately 3½ hours before returning a guilty verdict on both counts on Wednesday. Judge London Kite ordered Fernandez to return to court on 5 October at 9 a.m. for his sentencing to be scheduled. Under Florida law, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A murder-for-hire plot

Prosecutors argued the shooting was a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by Fernandez and Gardner, who shared 9-year-old twins with Bridegan at the time of his death. The night of the shooting, Bridegan had been driving home to St. Augustine after dropping the twins at Gardner's Jacksonville Beach home following a regularly scheduled custody exchange.

Investigators identified Henry Tenon as the gunman. Tenon was a tenant at a rental property Fernandez owned on Potomac Avenue in Northwest Jacksonville. Prosecutors stressed that Tenon had no prior connection to Bridegan — their only link was Fernandez. Tenon's DNA was found on the tyre that had been placed in the road that night.

The state's case centred on three cheques Fernandez wrote to Tenon totalling $10,000, described in the payments as compensation for landscaping, roof work and a Kickstarter project. Prosecutors maintained those projects did not exist and that the payments were disguised compensation for the killing. The defence countered that Tenon had performed legitimate work at Fernandez's Potomac property and that the cheques were above board.

Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler also pointed to Fernandez's phone activity on the night of the murder — including a period during which the device stopped recording location data — as suggesting he may have accompanied Tenon to the scene. Stifler acknowledged, however, that under Florida law Fernandez would be equally culpable whether or not he was physically present, provided the jury concluded he had "encouraged, assisted, advised or hired" the gunman.

Key evidence requested by jury

Deliberations were preceded by a procedural note from the jury shortly before noon, in which jurors asked to review a specific document shown during Monday's testimony. The document, labelled Defence Exhibit 3, tab C, page 25, stated that Gardner could only serve as trustee of her irrevocable trust when she had "no further legal entanglements" with Bridegan. Judge Kite and the attorneys located the document and it was provided to the jury. At approximately 1:21 p.m., jurors sent a note confirming they had reached a verdict.

Fernandez's defence never disputed that Tenon was the shooter; his DNA was not found on any of the items tested by investigators. The defence instead argued that the state had failed to prove Fernandez solicited or was otherwise involved in arranging the killing.

Co-defendants still to face trial

Gardner and Tenon have both been indicted on first-degree murder charges in connection with Bridegan's death and have each pleaded not guilty. Jury selection in Gardner's trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, with her proceedings expected to conclude before Fernandez's sentencing date. Tenon is not scheduled to stand trial until 2027.

In a statement following the verdict, Fernandez's attorneys said: "Though we are disappointed with the outcome, Mr. Fernandez will appeal the verdict. It goes without saying the professionalism of all involved, from the bailiffs to the clerks, to the courthouse staff, to Judge Kitt, and the prosecutors, is representative of the court system in North Florida. We stand by the fact that we have the greatest justice system in the world, and we will continue with Mr. Fernandez, and he will continue his fight."

Bridegan's widow, reacting to the verdict, said: "Truth won today."

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)