Florida Man Found Guilty of Executing Microsoft Manager Over Custody Dispute

A 38-year-old man named Mario Fernandez Saldana has been found guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation in connection with the death of Jared Bridegan, a Microsoft manager who was shot execution-style on a Florida road in February 2022.

Bridegan, 33, was killed while returning home from dropping off his twins at his ex-wife's house. He got out of his car to move a tire that was blocking the road when he was fatally shot, leaving behind his two-year-old daughter who was in her car seat.

Prosecutors alleged that Fernandez Saldana and his wife, Shanna Gardner, were the 'architects' of the fatal shooting. They claimed that Fernandez Saldana solicited another man, Henry Tenon, to commit the crime, and that he gave him at least $10,000 afterward.

Fernandez Saldana's defense attorney argued that there was no evidence connecting his client to the crime scene, but prosecutors pointed out that investigators found a tire at Fernandez Saldana's rental property that matched the one found at the crime scene. They also discovered Tenon's DNA on the tire at the crime scene.

Jared Bridegan's widow, Kirsten Bridegan, expressed gratitude for the verdict, saying 'Truth was seen in that courtroom -- the jury saw that truth and they acted accordingly … and I am grateful for that.'