Husband of murdered Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife appears in court in orange jumpsuit after being charged with hiring hitman to shoot him in spat over custody agreement
- Mario Fernandez Saldana appeared in court in Jacksonville briefly on Thursday
- He is accused of hiring hitman Henry Tenon to shoot Jared Bridegan in 2022
- Fernandez is married to Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna, with whom he shared 2 kids
The husband of murdered Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan appeared briefly in court this morning to face charges for his killing.
Mario Fernandez Saldana is accused of hiring hitman Henry Tenon to shoot and kill Bridegan in February last year.
Fernandez is married to Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna. At the time of the killing, Shanna and Jared were sharing custody of their twins but it was a contentious arrangement.
Prosecutors say Fernandez hired Tenon, who was renting a home from him at the time in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, to murder Jared and eliminate him from the children’s lives.
Today, he appeared in a line-up of inmates at the Fourth Circuit Court in Jacksonville.
Mario Fernandez Saldana is accused of hiring hitman Henry Tenon to shoot and kill Bridegan in February last year. He appeared in court today briefly
Jared Bridegan was gunned down in the middle of the road last summer in front of his daughter
Henry Tenon, 61, confessed to working with Saldana – his old landlord – to carry out the murder
The others were all in grey prison jumpsuits but Fernandez was dressed in orange.
He spoke briefly to answer the judge’s questions, answering ‘yes’, but did not make any other statements.
The hearing was brief and resulted in his next court date – April 4th – being set.
On February 16, Jared had just dropped the twins off at their mother’s house and was driving home with his two-year-old daughter in the backseat when he encountered a tire in the middle of the road.
He stopped the car and got out to move the tire – but was shot dead in an execution-style killing.
Police now say Tenon, who was arrested in January, was the gunman.
Tenon was arrested on unrelated charges earlier this year but confessed to his role in the killing under questioning.
He told police that Fernandez had hired him, and is now willing to testify against him at trial.
Shanna, the ex-wife, has not been charged, and she has not issued any statement about her new husband’s arrest.
She insisted previously that neither of them were involved in Jared’s death.
Jared had moved on with a new wife, Kirsten, with whom he shared two young daughters.
The youngest was only an infant when he was killed.
Fernandez answered the judge’s questions but gave no other public statements
Today, police announced the arrest of Mario Fernandez Saldana, the new husband of Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna, shown with her kids
The Microsoft executive was found 2.2miles from Shanna’s home after dropping off the kids on February 16. It was on a quiet patch of road, where there were no security cameras
