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#DC-0149

Mario Fernandez Saldana

Case file on charges against Mario Fernandez Saldana in Jared Bridegan's 2022 killing.

On trial · allegations
last updated 22 August 2026 · 3 sources
Confirmed facts
10
Open questions
4
Stage
On trial
Charges
2
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Mario Fernandez Saldana, reference D C zero one four nine. The Associated Press reported that on February sixteenth, twenty twenty-two, Jared Bridegan, thirty-three, was killed in Jacksonville Beach after he got out of his vehicle to move a tire placed in the road, while his two-year-old daughter was in a car seat. AP reported that Bridegan had just returned nine-year-old twins to Shanna Gardner’s home and was driving back toward St. Augustine with another child when the attack happened. AP reported that Shanna Lee Gardner was indicted by a grand jury in Bridegan’s death, and that the charges are allegations. AP also reported that Mario Fernandez Saldana’s attorney said he had pleaded not guilty. According to AP, Fernandez Saldana, thirty-eight, was on trial in Duval County court for first-degree murder and solicitation of murder, which are unproven allegations. AP reported competing opening statements from prosecutors and defense. The file’s open questions include the jury’s verdict, later verified testimony or rulings, and exact trial dates for Gardner and Henry Tenon. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero one four nine at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed10 entries
16 February 2022
Jared Bridegan, 33, was killed in Jacksonville Beach after he got out of his vehicle to move a tire placed in the road while his 2-year-old daughter was in a car seat.
AP
16 February 2022
AP reported that Bridegan had just returned 9-year-old twins to Shanna Gardner's home and was driving back toward St. Augustine with another child when the attack happened.
AP
17 August 2023
Shanna Lee Gardner was indicted by a grand jury in Bridegan's death, State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced at a Jacksonville news conference; the charges are allegations.
AP
17 August 2023
Fernandez Saldana's attorney, Jesse Dreicer, said Fernandez Saldana had pleaded not guilty and was presumed innocent after being arrested in March 2023 and charged in Bridegan's death.
AP
17 August 2026
Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, was on trial in Duval County court for first-degree murder and solicitation of murder; the charges are unproven allegations.
AP
17 August 2026
Prosecutor Christina Simak Stifler told jurors that the killing was a targeted ambush allegedly arranged by Bridegan's ex-wife and her husband.
AP
17 August 2026
Defense attorney James Hill told jurors that Fernandez Saldana had no motive to get rid of Bridegan and disputed that Fernandez Saldana hired Henry Tenon for murder.
AP
17 August 2026
Stifler said police found a tire at a rental property owned by Fernandez Saldana that was very similar to the tire that blocked Bridegan's vehicle.
AP
17 August 2026
Stifler said police matched DNA on the two tires to Henry Tenon and that records showed Tenon was paid $10,000 by Fernandez Saldana after the killing, with checks labeled for landscaping, roof repair and a business idea.
AP
17 August 2026
CBS News reported that Shanna Gardner had pleaded not guilty and that her separate trial was set to begin in September.
CBS News
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
What verdict will the jury reach in Fernandez Saldana's Duval County trial?pending trial · unconfirmed
What later witness testimony or evidentiary rulings after opening statements have been verified by trusted sources?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
What exact date will Shanna Gardner's separate trial begin?month reported, exact date unconfirmed · unconfirmed
What exact date will Henry Tenon's separate trial begin?year reported, exact date unconfirmed · unconfirmed
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