Jared Bridegan murder: Ex-wife Shanna Gardner appears in court as DeSantis signs extradition order

Prosecutors say they will push for the death penalty for both Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and her husband, Mario Fernandez.

He and his former tenant, Henry Tenon, have both already been charged for their alleged roles in the February 2022 murder in a wealthy suburb of Jacksonville Beach.

Jared Bridegan, a father of four, was murdered after he had dropped off the twins he shares with his ex-wife and was headed back to the house he lived at with his second wife, Kristen Bridegan.

Investigators say that he stopped his vehicle when he saw a tire in the middle of the road, and when he got out to move it he was shot multiple times in front of his daughter Bexley.

Court documents say that several bullets came within inches of hitting the youngster, who was strapped into her car seat.

Jared Bridegan’s widow, Kristen Bridegan, welcomed news of the arrest of his ex-wife.

“For 547 days, we hoped and prayed that this day would come,” she told reporters.

“Shanna’s arrest ends one horrific chapter of our pursuit for justice for Jared and now we opened a new one. This next chapter will be excruciating. We are confident in the ability of the State’s Attorney’s Office and law enforcement to bring truth to light we expect to see justice carried out to the fullest extent of the law.”

The ex-wife of slain Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan, who was fatally shot by a gunman as he drove home with his two-year-old daughter, has been arrested and charged with his murder.

Shanna Gardner-Fernandez was arrested in Washington state on Thursday and will be extradited back to Duval County, Florida, where she has been indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder and child abuse.

Graeme Massie reports.

Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, the ex-wife of Jared Bridegan, sat for an interview following her ex-husband’s murder, during which she expressed sadness that he had been killed, stating that he was “still the father of my children.”

“Any time divorce comes into any situation it’s messy,” she told WJAX in July 2022 following his murder.

“Even though we didn’t always get along, he was still the father of my kids,” she said, claiming she “fell to the floor because I was devastated” when she learned he had been killed.

She has now been charged with first degree murder relating to the death of Mr Bridegan.

Ms Gardner-Fernandez insisted at the time she had no idea who carried out the murder.

Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Ferenandez, has been charged with his murder.

Though she did not pull the trigger the night he was gunned down outside his car, investigators believe a spiteful divorce led to her orchestrating, along with her new husband and a gunman, the murder of her ex-husband.

Here is everything you need to know about the murder of Jared Bridegan.

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On 16 February 2022, around 8pm, Jared Bridegan was in the Sanctuary neighbourhood in south Jacksonville Beach, where he had just dropped his twin 10-year-old daughters off at his ex-wife’s house after taking them to dinner.

A third daughter, a two-year-old he had with his second wife, was still in his car when Mr Bridegan encountered a tire blocking the one-way road he was travelling on.

He was still approximately two miles away from his ex-wife’s house when he encountered the roadblock. Mr Bridegan stepped out of his vehicle to move the tire, and when he did, he was shot numerous times from close range.

Jacksonville Beach Police Sargent Tonya Tator said officers believed the tire was planted at the site to stop Mr Bridegan’s vehicle.

“When officers got on the scene, they found the vehicle with the flashers on, and there was a tire up in front of his vehicle in the roadway,” she told PEOPLE. “From there we are just trying to put the pieces together. There were no problems with his vehicle.”

She said the detective in charge of the investigation believed the shooting was likely targeted.

Security footage captured an image of a blue Ford F-150 made between 2004 and 2008 leaving the area around the time of the shooting, police said. Law enforcement asked for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the vehicle.

“From very, very early on, everything in my body and soul told me she was behind it,” Kristen Bridegan, widow of Jared Bridegan, told reporters after it was announced Shanna Garner-Fernandez had been arrested and charged with the murder of her husband.

Suspect potentially faces the death penalty if convicted.

The Kirton McConkie Law Firm in Salt Lake City, Utah, issued a statement on behalf of Ms Fernandez-Gardner’s parents, Shelli and Sterling Gardner.

“Words cannot accurately express the depth of our sadness. Family is our top priority. We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time,” it read.

“For their sake and all involved, we caution against further speculation and request privacy as the legal process runs its course. In the meantime, we are thankful for the continued support, thoughtfulness and prayers being so generously shared by friends and loved ones.”

Jared Bridegan’s widow, Kristen Bridegon, told reporters she was desperate for the grandparents to allow her husband’s two children from his marriage to the suspect to be reunited with their half-sisters.

Mr Tenon, 62, was charged on 25 January with conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony and child abuse. Authorities say that he was a former tenant of Mr Fernandez. He has a long criminal history and was already behind bars awaiting trial on unrelated charges.

Police announced on 16 March that Mr Fernandez had been arrested in Orlando and he was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse.

On the same day, it was announced that Mr Tenon had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against him and anyone else potentially involved in the killing.

The state attorney said that Mr Tenon had admitted that he was the gunman and he faces up to 15 years in prison under the plea agreement.

Mr Fernandez pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in July and prosecutors say that he will not be offered a plea deal. According to the indictment, he wrote Tenon three checks and phone records show the men made more than 70 phone calls to each other before and after the killing.