JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Duval County judge has set a trial date in the murder case of Jared Bridegan.
In what is described as a murder-for-hire plot by authorities, the father of four was gunned down after dropping off his two oldest children in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022.
One suspect, Henry Tenon, pleaded guilty to killing Bridegan. But Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her second husband, Mario Fernandez-Saldana, are also accused of first degree murder in the case.
Over two years from the crime, the two are in Duval County Jail and have not yet stood trial.
Wednesday, Judge London Kite agreed to a final pretrial date of October 13, 2025, with jury selection expected to begin October 20, 2025. These dates are tentative.
What happened?
Around 7:45 p.m. on the evening of Feb. 16, 2022, Bridegan was dropping off his twins at his ex-wife's home in the Sanctuary neighborhood of Jacksonville Beach. As he left her home, his two-year-old daughter Bexley, rode in her car seat behind him. Both unaware of the danger lying ahead of them.
Investigators say as Jared turned right onto Sanctuary Boulevard — a narrow, dimly lit road leading toward JTB — he encountered a tire in the roadway. As he exited his car to move the tire, he was shot multiple times and killed.
His daughter, Bexley, was not physically harmed, but an officer's report states when witnesses tried to ask her what happened "she was only worried about her dad."