A hitman has been found guilty of killing a Microsoft executive in a murder-for-hire scheme fueled by a custody battle between the victim and his ex-wife.
Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 38, was convicted Wednesday of the first-degree murder of father-of-four Jared Bridegan. He was also found guilty of solicitation of murder.
Bridegan, 33, was shot dead four years ago after he got out of his SUV to remove a tire from a road in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Prosecutors believe he was killed because of ongoing strife with his former wife, Shanna Gardner, over the parenting of their twins.
Fernandez-Saldana is married to Gardner, whose own murder trial is set to start in September.
Prosecutors allege that Fernandez-Saldana's former Henry Tenon, who had no personal connection to Bridegan, pulled the the trigger.
But the 38-year-old's connection to and financial transactions with Tenon tied him to the killing, the court heard.
Tenon, 65, initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Fernandez-Saldana, but he later backed out of the deal and will stand trial next year.
Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 38, was convicted Wednesday of the first-degree murder of father-of-four Jared Bridegan. He was also found guilty of solicitation of murder
Bridegan was shot dead four years ago after he got out of his SUV to remove a tire from a road in Jacksonville Beach
Bridegan was 'unarmed, unaware, exposed, vulnerable. He couldn't have known, on that cold asphalt in February of 2022, the architects of his murder had been making preparations for his death for months,' Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler said during closing arguments.
Defense attorney Jesse Dreicer told jurors that Fernandez-Saldana had no motive to have Bridegan killed. Fernandez-Saldana and Gardner are estranged, and Gardner moved to Washington state after the killing.
'He certainly gained no benefit from the death of Jared Bridegan,' Dreicer said, noting there was no testimony that Fernandez Saldana told anyone that Bridegan 'deserves to die.'
Jurors saw three checks totaling $10,000 written to Tenon after the homicide, marked as payments for handyman work and a business idea.
Tenon's DNA was identified on the rim of the tire that was intentionally placed in the road, police said.
Gardner, 39, is the daughter of the co-founder of Stampin' Up!, an arts-and-crafts company based in Utah.
Bridegan was shot twice when he stopped his Volkswagen Atlas to remove a tire from the road. He had just returned two children to Gardner's home after a 'date night' meal with the twins.
At the time of his death, he was married to Kirsten Bridegan and they had two children.
Kirsten Bridegan told the jury that the post-divorce relationship between her husband and Gardner was 'pretty terrible,' adding there was 'absolutely no trust.'
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
