Microsoft Manager Murder Conviction Tied to Child Custody Dispute

A man has been convicted of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder for arranging the fatal shooting of a Microsoft design manager on a Florida road. Jared Bridegan, 38, was shot four years ago after he got out of his SUV to remove a tire from the road in Jacksonville Beach.

The attack stumped police for months as they struggled to understand why someone with no apparent enemies would be killed while his daughter sat nearby in her car seat.

Prosecutors believe Bridegan was killed because of ongoing strife with his former wife, Shanna Gardner, over the parenting of their twins. The jury heard that Fernandez Saldana, 38, who is married to Gardner and has a history of child custody disputes with Bridegan, had motive for the murder.

Gardner's trial is set to start in September, and her defense attorney was not mentioned by name in the source. However, it is reported that she moved to Washington state after the killing.