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Prosecutor: Florida murder of Microsoft manager was hatched by ex-wife, new husband
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Jared Bridegan, a Microsoft design manager, was fatally shot in 2022 in a targeted ambush orchestrated by his ex-wife Shanna Gardner and her husband Mario Fernandez Saldana, driven by prolonged disputes over religion and child-rearing.
- Fernandez Saldana is on trial for first-degree murder and solicitation of murder, accused of hiring a gunman, Henry Tenon, who is also facing charges after withdrawing a guilty plea; Gardner faces trial later this year.
- The murder was staged to appear as a perfect crime, involving a tire placed in the road to stop Bridegan’s car, and DNA evidence linked the tire to Tenon, who was paid $10,000 by Fernandez Saldana under false pretenses.
- Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, immediately suspected Gardner and Fernandez Saldana, citing years of acrimony over custody and parenting of the twins from Bridegan’s first marriage.
- The prosecution highlighted Gardner’s relocation with the children and Fernandez Saldana’s move to Orlando as outcomes benefiting them after Bridegan’s death; Bridegan was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had recently joined Microsoft.
