JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shanna Gardner, charged with first-degree murder for her alleged part in a plot to murder her ex-husband Jared Bridegan, has changed attorneys, court records revealed Wednesday. She will now be represented by Jose Baez, a high-profile attorney known for winning acquittals for Casey Anthony in the death of her toddler, and NFL player Aaron Hernandez in his 2017 double-murder trial.
Baez is also known for his ill-fated, five month stint as part of Harvey Weinstein's "dream team" of attorneys. He withdrew from the case, and Weinstein later sued him for a reimbursement of his fees, according to reports. He also represented Tory Lanez in his trial for shooting Megan Thee Stallion; Lanez was sentenced to 10 years.
Gardner was recently extradited back to Jacksonville from Washington state, where she moved after the crime, to stand trial. She's currently being held at the Duval County Jail on no bond.
Prosecutors say Gardner, along with her second husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana and a man named Henry Tenon, known to be connected to Fernandez, plotted to kill Bridegan in an elaborate, calculated plot.
Bridegan was gunned down in the street in Jacksonville Beach after he left Gardner's home on Feb. 16, 2022. Bridegan had just dropped off their 10-year-old twins, whom they shared custody of. He was shot when he got out of the car to move a tire blocking the road -- which police now say was planted there intentionally to lure him from his car.
Police records show Bridegan and Gardner had a "highly acrimonious divorce."
Tenon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case. He was arrested on Jan. 25 after the case went unsolved for nearly a year; by that time, police had offered a $55,000 reward for information in the case.
On March 16, Fernandez was arrested. It wasn't until August 17 that Gardner was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, solicitation to commit first-degree murder, and child abuse (this charge comes from the fact that Bridegan's 2-year-old daughter, Bexley, was in the car).
Both Gardner and Fernandez have pleaded not guilty on all charges.
The case has drawn national attention, and Baez joining the fray promises even more attention.
A date has not been set yet for the trial. Prosecutors have said they will seek death penalty for Fernandez and Gardner.
