In a shocking case that has captured public attention, Mario Fernandez-Saldana is on trial for allegedly orchestrating the fatal shooting of a St. Augustine father in 2022. He faces charges of first-degree murder.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The long-awaited court proceedings for the murder of Jared Bridegan have commenced, over four years after the tragic incident that occurred in 2022. Bridegan, a father of four from St. Augustine, was shot while he was in his car with his 2-year-old daughter.
Fernandez-Saldana’s legal troubles include not only first-degree murder but also charges of solicitation to commit a felony. Authorities accuse him of conspiring with Shanna Gardner, Bridegan’s former spouse, in the deadly plot.
The trial opened with poignant testimonies, including those from Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten Bridegan, and witnesses who rushed to the scene moments after the shooting.
As the trial advances into its second day, the prosecution plans to introduce testimony from law enforcement officials. Proceedings are set to continue at 9 a.m., under the oversight of Judge London Kite.
Editor’s note: For a recap of day one of the trial, click here.
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Jacksonville Beach Police Detective Chris Johns (state witness) – Johns said on the same day of his interview with Fernandez-Saldana, he scheduled a Child Protection Team to interview Bridegan and Gardner’s twin children. The interview was scheduled the next day, March 2, 2022. Johns said the investigation ran cold until the tire that was similar to the tire found at the scene was discovered at Fernandez-Saldana’s property. He said the tenant who was living on Fernandez-Saldana’s property when the tire there was found, told investigators that the tire belonged to Tenon’s father, who owned a blue Ford pickup truck. Cell site data from Tenon’s cellphone placed him in Jacksonville Beach on night Bridegan was murdered, Johns testified. Tenon’s DNA matched the DNA that came back on the rim of the tire found at the murder scene, Johns said. Upon reviewing Tenon’s financial records and discovering that there was a transaction for a tow service, Johns said he used location data and toll records to see where Tenon was on the day of the murder. Johns said Tenon’s Ford F-150 was later found at his friend’s home. While processing Tenon’s vehicle, Johns said he found three business check stubs. Johns confirmed the checks had been written by Fernandez-Saldana. Later, Johns said he wiretapped a call from Fernandez-Saldana.
4:05 p.m. – Johns remains on witness stand to testify.
Interview – Fernandez-Saldana began the interview saying how he and Gardner met. Afterward, he said that now realizing that he would be in Bridegan’s kids’ lives moving forward, he suggested having a chat with Bridegan to which Fernandez-Saldana said he didn’t hear back from him. He described the group text between he, Gardner, Bridegan and Bridegan’s wife Kirsten as very “pestering.” In one incident where Fernandez-Saldana was picking up Bridegan and Gardner’s children from Bridegan’s home, Fernandez-Saldana said Bridegan threatened to file a restraining order on Fernandez-Saldana after the defendant knocked on Bridegan’s door. Fernandez-Saldana said on the night of Bridegan’s murder, he was home when Bridegan’s children arrived back from their “date night” with Bridegan. Fernandez-Saldana said during the date night, Bridegan’s children told him Bridegan took a business phone call in private, which wasn’t entirely unusual. He said their was a lot of fighting during the co-parenting relationship, describing it as a “pain in the ass.” Fernandez-Saldana stated that he knew people that didn’t like Bridegan, adding that he didn’t himself either.
“I told you, I don’t like him in particular. I don’t care for that dude,” Fernandez-Saldana said. When detectives asked who he was referring to, Fernandez-Saldana stated people from Bridegan’s church.
“Because it wasn’t amicable and because of how they were being with the kids, we were more or less fighting for the kids to have a chance and for Shanna to have majority of the decision-making,” Fernandez-Saldana also said during the interview. “And if she could have more timeshare on her end, if it was like 60/40 or whatever. If we could bend it just enough, it’d be great because the kids would be better off.”
3:05 p.m. – Video of interview between Det. Johns and Fernandez-Saldana is played to the jury.
Jacksonville Beach Police Detective Chris Johns (state witness) – Johns testified that when he responded to the murder scene, it was already secured. He said there were no signs of a robbery because Bridegan still had all of his belongings. Police couldn’t find any eyewitnesses, and nobody that night who they spoke with were able to come up with a suspect or suspect vehicle description. Johns said he spoke with Bridegan’s wife Kirsten at the police station later that evening. He said he did not record their interview or conversation, agreeing with prosecutors that it would not have been appropriate as police were also informing Kirsten about her husband’s death. Johns said later in the investigation he did a “tower dump” in the area where Bridegan was killed, meaning law enforcement sent a search warrant to a cellphone carrier and received a list of numbers that utilized the cellphone tower nearby. Johns testified that phones have to be on and use cellular data in order to show up on the list. After a review, Johns said nothing popped out with the tower dump. He said every person listed either lived in the neighborhood or was on the scene and not determined to be a suspect. Johns said he retraced Bridegan’s steps the night he was murdered and didn’t find anything noteworthy to suggest that he had been involved in a road rage incident or other altercation leading up to his death. He said he pulled the Bridegans’ financial and phone records, but nothing from the records suggested it would cause for Bridegan to be killed. After ruling out that Bridegan had been killed during a road rage incident or as part of a robbery, Johns said he eventually identified Gardner and Fernandez-Saldana as persons of interest, but also investigated other leads. After analyzing the shell casings found on scene, Johns said nobody’s DNA was found on them except for Bridegan’s. He said the shell casings also weren’t linked to another crime. Johns said he interviewed Fernandez-Saldana at the police station on March 1, 2022; it was recorded. During the interview, Johns said Fernandez-Saldana made statements that were relevant to the investigation, one being that he and Gardner were trying to get a social investigation done to get majority custody of the children Gardner shared with Bridegan. Johns said he also spoke with Gardner on March 1, 2022. At that time, Johns said Gardner and Fernandez-Saldana were not viewed as suspects.
1:40 p.m. – State calls Chris Johns to testify.
1:30 p.m. – Under cross examination, Burrell testified that when he left police station to go to Gardner and Fernandez’s home, both defendants were there. He said he didn’t call before he showed up, but was invited into their home. He said they were cooperative, and that Fernandez-Saldana didn’t seem nervous, evasive nor sweating. Burrell testified that later on in the investigation, he went on a helicopter ride to search for Tenon’s truck, which he said was eventually found but not on a property owned by Fernandez-Saldana.
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Jacksonville Beach Police Detective Brett Burrell (state witness) – Burrell testified that the day after the murder, he responded to the neighborhood where the murder occurred to do a canvass for potential witnesses and information. He said he also went to Gardner and Fernandez-Saldana’s home at 12:36 a.m. the day after Bridegan’s murder, as well as to a property owned by Fernandez-Saldana two days after the murder. He said he went to the property owned by Fernandez-Saldana to see if he saw Tenon’s truck there. At Gardner and Fernandez-Saldana’s home, Burrell testified that he went there to see if he could get any additional information that would be helpful for the investigation. At the property owned by Fernandez-Saldana, Burrell testified that he met Tenon there and noticed a tire leaned up against the garage. Although Tenon was not living their anymore, Burrell said the tenant who was gave Burrell permission to dispose of the tire. Burrell said he took the tire because “oddly enough” it appeared to resemble the tire found at the scene and so he just “hedged his bets.” No one claimed ownership of tire, according to Burrell. After getting the tire, Burrell said he went on Google and searched its DOT number, as well as the DOT number of the tire found at the scene. Through Bridgestone, Burrell said the tires appeared to match: they had the same date and came from the same manufacturing plant. Through the investigation, it was learned that Tenon’s father owned a blue Ford F-150.
1:11 p.m. – State calls Brett Burrell to testify.
11:50 a.m. – The trial takes a lunch recess.
11:48 a.m. – Wallace agreed that there were no surveillance cameras along South 15th Street to get video footage. He also agreed that the truck could have theoretically gone from the assisted living facility on Shetter Avenue to the Cradle Creek Preserve on South 15th Street and parked there for 36 minutes before it was seen again before the murder.
11:45 a.m. – Wallace agreed that he cannot testify as to where the truck went after appearing on footage near the assisted living facility the second time on the night of the murder. However, he stated that jurors will have footage of nearby streets in the neighborhood where the murder happened, after it had occurred.
11:33 a.m. – Wallace agreed with the defense that surveillance footage showing a person walk past the police department around an hour and 23 minutes after the murder was Henry Tenon.
11:26 a.m. – Wallace said he did not see any surveillance footage of Fernandez-Saldana on the night of the murder.
11:25 a.m. – Wallace agreed with the defense that there were two people inside the truck before it had pulled out of where it was parked the first time.
11:24 a.m. – Wallace admitted that he could not see anyone walking to or from the truck while parked near the assisted living facility the first time.
11:15 a.m. – Wallace admitted that the time of 7:50 p.m. was displayed wrong in surveillance video of the truck being parked back near the assisted living facility on Shetter Avenue following the murder. It was supposed to display the correct time of 8 p.m., Wallace testified.
11:14 a.m. – The defense begins cross examining Wallace.
Jacksonville Beach Police Department Corporal Brian Wallace (state witness) – Wallace testified that he collected surveillance footage in the area where the murder took place. He said he went to hundreds of houses and businesses looking for surveillance video and witnesses. A lot of people had cameras nearby streets where Bridegan was killed, Wallace said, but many residents only had live video and not footage from previous hours and days. Wallace said one surveillance video he obtained from a homeowner on a nearby street where the murder occurred showed a truck passing by, with one gunshot later heard. In the same video, Wallace said you could see a stopped car in the distance, a person walk in front of the car, and later run away. Wallace testified that upon further examining the video, reviewing footage from an hour before the murder, another detective noted a blue two-toned pickup truck “operating unusually” on a stretch of Sanctuary Boulevard (where Bridegan was killed). He said the truck slowed down going towards J. Turner Butler Boulevard before U-turning and going down the other direction. Wallace acknowledged that the police department did not have license plate readers at the time to get information on the truck. A blue Ford pickup truck that was “consistent” in appearance to accused gunman Henry Tenon’s vehicle, Wallace said, was seen traveling along Beach Boulevard near South 15 Street an hour before the murder in surveillance footage. The truck was seen next traveling on Fairway Lane, then traveling on America Avenue at 6:40 and 6:41 p.m. At 6:45 p.m., the truck was seen traveling along Grande Boulevard with an object on its bed. Wallace said surveillance video at an assisted living facility on Shetter Avenue captured the truck parked nearby for 23 minutes in the hour before the murder, and leaving at 7:12 p.m. At 7:47 p.m., truck is seen driving along Fairway Lane with Bridegan’s vehicle trailing behind. At 7:51 p.m., surveillance footage shows the truck with Bridegan’s vehicle following around 20 seconds behind it on America Avenue. At 7:52 p.m., surveillance footage shows the scene of the murder, as one gunshot could be heard with a person in the distance walking and then running away from the scene. After the shooting, footage shows the truck leaving the area and the accused gunman, Henry Tenon, walking throughout the neighborhood. At 7:50 p.m., truck seen in surveillance footage parking in same spot near the assisted living facility it parked in earlier. At 9:15 p.m., surveillance footage on the outside of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department shows who prosecutors believe is Henry Tenon walk past. A minute later, at 9:16 p.m., surveillance video shows a person is seen walking west along Shetter Avenue, while Kirsten Bridegan’s vehicle pulls into the police station.
9:37 a.m. – State calls Bryan Wallace to testify.
Jacksonville Beach Police Officer Shane Jarman (state witness) – Jarman’s testimony centered around how law enforcement processed the murder scene. Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi showed Jarman multiple videos and pictures of the scene. Jarman’s own bodycam footage was shown to jurors; it showed Bridegan’s body covered with a sheet, the shell casings recovered from the scene and the tire in the road that Bridegan encountered. Jarman said a projectile found inside of Bridegan’s vehicle appeared to be the same type of projectile found under his body. He testified that no GPS trackers were found on Bridegan’s vehicle when he processed it.
9:11 a.m. – State calls Shane Jarman to testify.
9:11 a.m. – Jury enters the courtroom.