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A tire in the road, then a father shot dead. Now a man accused of planning it goes on trial
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Jared Bridegan, a 33-year-old Microsoft executive, was fatally shot in February 2022 in a planned ambush after stopping to remove a tire placed in the road, with his 2-year-old daughter unharmed in the backseat.
- Investigators allege the murder was part of a months-long murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, amid a contentious custody battle over their twins.
- Henry Tenon, arrested in early 2023 and accused of being the shooter, initially pleaded guilty but later withdrew his plea, claiming his testimony was false; his trial is scheduled for March 2027.
- Fernandez Saldana, charged with first-degree murder and solicitation, pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial first, while Gardner has also been indicted and is scheduled for trial in September 2024.
- Prosecutors assert that Gardner and Fernandez Saldana played central roles in the premeditated murder, with evidence including GPS tracking, financial transactions, and phone records linking the conspirators.
