Microsoft Manager's Ex-Wife and Husband Accused in Targeted Ambush Murder

A high-profile murder trial began in Duval County court on Monday, alleging that a Microsoft manager was killed in a targeted ambush by his ex-wife and her husband. Jared Bridegan, a 33-year-old design manager, was driving home from dropping off his twins with his ex-wife Shanna Gardner on February 16, 2023, when he stopped to remove a tire from the road. As he got out of his car, he was shot at point-blank range.

The prosecutor, Christina Simak Stifler, alleged that Bridegan's murder was a result of years of post-marriage arguments over religion and child custody between Bridegan and Gardner. The case is part of a monthslong murder-for-hire plot allegedly orchestrated by Shanna Gardner and her husband Mario Fernandez Saldana.

Fernandez Saldana, 38, is accused of arranging the killing by hiring a gunman, Henry Tenon, who was paid $10,000 for the job. However, defense attorney James Hill disputed this claim, stating that Fernandez Saldana had no desire to kill Bridegan and his actions after the murder did not resemble those of a criminal.