JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The judge presiding over the Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case on Monday granted a request from Bridegan’s ex-wife’s estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, to prevent certain evidence from being made public before trial.

Fernandez and Bridegan’s ex-wife Shanna Gardner each face the death penalty if convicted of Bridegan’s murder. The St. Augustine father of four was murdered on Feb. 16, 2022 in what police have called a “murder-for-hire plot” orchestrated by Gardner and Fernandez, who have pleaded not guilty to charges in the murder.

Henry Tenon is also charged with Bridegan’s murder and has agreed to testify against Gardner and Fernandez. He has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and admitted to being the one who pulled the trigger in the deadly ambush. Gardner and Fernandez are accused of offering Tenon $150,000 to kill Bridegan.

On Monday, Judge London Kite granted a motion from Fernandez, restricting the disclosure of some discovery materials related to him, including multiple interviews and reports, until “a jury has been selected and sequestered.”

“Defendant believes these materials contain allegations of uncharged conduct unrelated to his current charges that, if released to the public, would jeopardize his right to a fair trial and due process,” Kite wrote in her order on the motion.

Kite went on to say that the court finds the materials to be of little relevance to proceedings, but said the materials should only be withheld until “the jury begins deliberations in any penalty phase, or the jury is discharged having reached a verdict, is sufficiently narrowed tailored to balance protecting his rights with the public’s rights to open proceedings.”

Another motion Kite granted from Fernandez on Monday now prohibits the Nassau County Jail from releasing “any and all” communications related to Tenon to the public.

“These communications include, but are not limited to the following: jail calls, tablet calls, tablet messages, incoming mail, outgoing mail, and the like,” Kite wrote in her order the motion.

Tenon was moved to the Nassau County Jail in February.

Gardner and Fernandez’s trial is scheduled to start on Aug. 3, 2026. It was originally set to begin Oct. 20, but during a pre-trial hearing in July, Judge London Kite agreed with requests to move the trial date. Attorneys said jury selection would begin Aug. 3 and could last a week.

The trial, which is a death penalty case, is expected to last more than six weeks. Kite said it could last through Sept. 18, 2026, including the penalty phase if a guilty verdict is returned.

Gardner and Fernandez will have separate juries, and Kite noted that as many as 500 potential jurors, 250 per defendant, could be brought in due to the level of public interest in the case. The judge also acknowledged the extensive amount of time a jury would have to be available for the length of the trial.

Gardner and Fernandez are both charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse.