JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shanna Gardner is set to be back in court Friday morning as Gardner's defense alleges "foul play" from the prosecution.
The State Attorney's Office Fourth Judicial Circuit has pushed back, saying the allegations are "without merit" and described the actions of Gardner's defense attorney, Jose Baez, as "self-serving".
Gardner is accused of plotting to kill her ex-husband, Jared Bridegan, with the help of her second husband Mario Fernandez and Henry Tenon. Police say Tenon placed a tire on Sanctuary Boulevard, causing Bridegan to stop with his young daughter in the car, before he fired several times at close range killing Bridegan. Tenon has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Jared Bridegan.
In a June press conference on the Duval County Courthouse steps, Jose Baez said State Attorney Melissa Nelson and her office have transcended from "poor judgement" to "outright foul play" and accused a Jacksonville Beach Police Department detective of lying under oath during Gardner's bond hearing May 15.
"These things require them to answer to and the only way to do it is by exposing them and having full transparency," Baez said in the press conference.
Detective Christopher Johns testified during Gardner's bond hearing and spoke about text messages viewed from Gardner's phone between Gardner and her close friend Kim Jensen in which a hitman was discussed and another woman, Susan Lee, was mentioned. Johns testified he believed a colleague possibly spoke with Susan Lee, but he would need to further review his notes.
Baez said he was contacted by a lawyer for Susan Lee after that bond hearing who said she did speak directly with Johns, and that her phone number had not changed since 2014.
Baez also questioned why a meeting between prosecutors, two detectives and a critical witness in the case, Jensen, was not recorded and there are no reports on it. Baez added that Jensen also contacted his team to say her statements were misrepresented and that favorable statements were left out.
The prosecution responded in a July court filing that Baez failed to provide specific statements that the state "was obligated, but failed, to disclose" from an interview between prosecutors, detectives and Gardner's close friend, Kim Jensen.
The state argues in its response that Gardner's team has been aware of "Jensen's opinions regarding the context of these messages" since discovery was provided by the state in November 2023. Prosecutors said Gardner received Jensen's grand jury testimony in January 2024 and the defense team could have called Jensen during the bond-related Arthur hearing but did not.
In Friday's hearing, witnesses are expected to be called and Judge London Kite will decide how to proceed.
