JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tensions rose in a Duval County courtroom as allegations of "shameful" behavior and a "reckless disregard for the truth" where lodged against prosecutors and law enforcement in the high-profile murder trial of Shanna Gardner.
Gardner is facing first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges in the death of her ex-husband, Jared Bridegan. Her second husband, Mario Fernandez, is also facing the same murder charges. Bridegan was murdered in February of 2022 after dropping off the twins he shares with Gardner to her Jacksonville Beach home. Police have described it as a "murder-for-hire" plot; a man named Henry Tenon has pleaded guilty to firing the fatal shots. Tenon rented a house from Mario Fernandez.
What happened in court Friday morning stems from the bond hearing for Shanna Gardner back in May. In that hearing, the lead detective Christopher Johns with the Jacksonville Beach Police Department testified extensively about text messages between Gardner and her close friend, Kim Jensen, in which the pair talked about "funeral potatoes" and finding a magician to make Bridegan disappear.
Johns also said Jensen reached out to a woman named Susan Lee about a hitman, but testified that he thought a colleague may have spoken to her or he would need to review his notes.
In court Friday, the defense brought Susan Lee to testify that she spoke on the phone directly with Johns and told him the text was a part of a joke. Jensen was also brought in to testify, saying her conversations with Gardner about Jared Bridegan dying were not serious and the talk of a hitman with Lee was also a joke.
"I know the word sounds bad, but in the context that it was, it was something we had joked about for many years before I even knew Shanna," Jensen told the court.
Jensen was also pressed about things she told detectives about Gardner's second husband, Mario Fernandez, saying he was known to make shocking statements.
"He had this one particular line he would say repeatedly which was, 'Do you want me to take care of it?' 'Do you want me to take care of him?' and that could be anything," she said.
The defense argued they should have been provided with more information about the context of Jensen's statements before the bond hearing, but Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler said the fact that Gardner and Jensen paint the conversations as "jokes" is already known.
"The defense has had this information that this is her view or how she is skewing these communications with her best friend," Stifler said. "I am sure once [Jensen] saw the Arthur Hearing [bond hearing] and heard the word co-conspirator with her name, that is probably the basis of the outrage defense council is speaking about."
The testimony of Johns was brought up throughout the hearing and by each witness. Linda Luchetti with the Intrepid Group, a public relations and crisis management agency representing Gardner, said she felt Johns' testimony about her was mischaracterized and, at times, inaccurate.
"This is not a mistake, this not negligence, this is not bad lawyering, this is a pattern," defense attorney Jose Baez said. "This is a clear and distinct pattern of trying to skirt justice and the truth."
In his final argument, Baez described the behavior of Johns as "text book lying" and asked the judge to dismiss the case or reconsider giving Gardner a bond among other remedies.
But the prosecution chided Baez for his handling of the case and holding a public press conference in June about the allegations and said this case was about looking at the totality of evidence and not just one conversation.
"It stops being a joke when you are talking about it with your friend and then you start reaching out to other people about it," Stifler said. "In no way did I mislead this court or the detective mislead this court."
Judge London Kite will decide how to proceed on the matter. The next court date is scheduled for September 23.