Florida Man Convicted in Murder-for-Hire Plot Over Custody Battle
A Florida man was convicted of his role in a twisted murder-for-hire plot that left Microsoft manager Jared Bridegan dead.
Mario Fernandez Saldana, along with two others, orchestrated the murder amid a heated custody battle between his wife's ex-husband Jared and Shanna Gardner.
Prosecutors said Mario and his co-conspirators wanted control of Shanna's family trust, which could only happen when 'legal entanglements' with Jared were resolved. They fixed it by executing a man when they had other alternatives available to them,' Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler said in court.
Jared was shot four times on February 16, 2022, while driving his 2-year-old daughter home from dinner in Jacksonville Beach. The toddler nearly got hit twice but was shaken and worried about her dad after witnessing the shooting.