The woman accused of hiring a hitman to kill her Microsoft-exec husband offered a smirk in her first mugshot.  

Police in Florida have released a picture of Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, the ex-wife of Jared Bridegan, who she plotted to murder.

The mother-of-two was booked in to Duvall County Jail on first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and child abuse charges on Friday.

She and her current husband, Mario Fernandez-Saldana, both 35, are accused of hiring a hitman to gun down Jared Bridegan, 33, who was slain in an execution-style killing in front of his small daughter in Jacksonville Beach last year.

Dramatic bodycam footage captured the moment Gardner-Fernandez was arrested at her $1 million West Richland, Washington, home in August.

Police in Florida have released the first mugshot of Shanna Gardner-Fernandez who is accused of hiring a hitman to gun down her ex-husband in front of his two-year-old daughter

Microsoft executive Jared Brigedan was shot on February 16 in what police described as a murder-for-hire killing

Gardner-Fernandez was taken to Benton County jail before being extradited to Florida to face the charges. 

Lawyers for the accused mom tried to fight the extradition after Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson stated she will be seeking the death penalty. 

She was arrested a year and a half after the father-of-four was killed execution-style just minutes from his ex-wife’s home in what police described as an ‘ambush’ and ‘targeted’ attack.

At the time, Bridegan was living in St. Augustine, Florida, in a $780,000 home with his new wife and children. He would regularly drive up to Jacksonville to visit the twins he shared with Gardner-Fernandez.

He had just dropped the children off at their mother’s house on February 16 when he was lured from his car by a tire that had been placed in his path, police believe.

He was gunned down next to his Vauxhall Atlas while his two-year-old daughter Bexley was in the back seat, narrowly escaping with her life. 

It is thought that Fernandez-Saldana’s former tenant Henry Tenon, 62, acted as the gunman in the killing. He confessed to the plot after being arrested for an unrelated crime.

Just five weeks after the killing, the accused couple took an all-inclusive vacation at  Port St Lucie. Snaps from the break show them laughing and pulling silly faces at the camera.

Gardner-Fernandez has been accused of orchestrating the murder along with her husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 35

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The mom-of-two was arrested in August at her $1 million home in Washington. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Gardner-Fernandez was pictured joking around on holiday in Port St.Lucie just five weeks after he ex-husband was murdered

Suspected gunman Henry Tenon, 62, (left) has said he is willing to testify that Mario Fernandez-Soldana, 35, and his wife hired him to kill Bridegan

At the time of the murder the former spouses were locked in an acrimonious custody battle that had been raging since their divorce in 2015 and centered on their ten-year-old twins, Abby and Liam.

Gardner-Fernandez remarried in 2018 with sources reporting that she became ‘wilder and wilder’ as their relationship progressed. 

One tattoo shop employee recalled their shock when she came in and asked for a genital piercing.

Both of the accused couple have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are due to stand trial. 

Shanna’s parents issued a statement after her arrest, which said: ‘Words cannot accurately express the depth of our sadness. Family is our top priority. 

‘We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time. 

‘For their sake and all involved, we caution against further speculation and request privacy as the legal process runs its course.’

Fernandez-Soldana’s presence in his children’s lives was also a worry to Bridegan, according to those who know the family. 

Bridegan’s widow said she would support the death penalty if Gardner-Fernandez (pictured prior to her arrest) is convicted

The father was described as a ‘devout’ Mormon who was working as a software developer for Microsoft. His widow Kristen has said she will support the death penalty if his ex-wife is convicted. 

She previously said that the children had been ‘ripped apart’. In an emotional interview, Kirsten, 36, told DailyMail.com of her ‘satisfaction’ about Shanna’s arrest.

‘There is satisfaction in knowing that the person I believe was the driving force behind this doesn’t get the privileges that she allegedly took from Jared,’ she said.

‘My personal thought is that I trust [the prosecutors] to make the best decision for the case and if that is the death penalty then we support that.’