JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – “False testimony:” Those are two words that could change the entire trajectory of the Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case, according to a legal analyst.
Henry Tenon, the man who admitted to pulling the trigger, claimed his testimony was false, according to newly obtained court documents related to the case. This revelation could impact the case against Mario Fernandez and Shanna Gardner, Bridegan’s ex-wife and her estranged husband, who are accused of orchestrating Bridegan’s murder.
Recommended Videos
Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, was ambushed and killed in Jacksonville Beach in 2022. Now, newly obtained court documents reveal Tenon is backtracking on his prior testimony.
RELATED | Trial of estranged couple accused in Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire plot set for Oct. 2025 | Court ends custody battle between grandparents, says Jared Bridegan’s twins will stay with jailed ex-wife’s family
During a Jan. 13 hearing, Tenon attempted to inform the judge that his testimony was false.
A transcript from the hearing details the exchange:
MR. TENON: Your Honor, may I say something?
THE COURT: Talk to Mr. Chipperfield first. Tell him what you want to tell me. Okay?
MR. TENON: I just want to bring to your attention that my testimony --
THE COURT: No, no, no.
MR. TENON: -- false testimony --
THE COURT: Hold on.
MR. CHIPPERFIELD: Mr. Tenon, we need to talk about that.
MR. TENON: I need another attorney.
A legal analyst said Tenon’s statement has significant implications.
Attorney Gene Nichols said the sudden change raises questions about the integrity of the case. He called Tenon’s admission surprising.
“What I’m most surprised about is Tenon comes back to court with his lawyer, and in essence, probably blurts out, yeah, I need to tell you something, Judge. And it appears that Mr. Chipperfield didn’t know what he was going to say,“ Nichols said. “Henry Tenon has admitted in court that he has lied about something, and now what we’re going to see happen is the State Attorney’s Office will have to inform the defense what Tenon lied about.”
Tenon had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against Fernandez and Gardner. The agreement included the state dropping additional charges at the time of sentencing.
MORE | Man charged in connection to Jared Bridegan’s death faces at least 15 years: plea deal shows
Nichols warned that Tenon’s plea deal could be in jeopardy.
“Any agreement he made to testify is to testify truthfully, and if he’s going to come in and now say something different than what the state has been building their case on for all of this time period, then there’s going to be a problem," Nichols said.
He also noted that the defense may push for more details about Tenon’s statement.
“Tenon has already admitted to pulling the trigger. He’s the state’s number one witness against the other two defendants. So from that standpoint—what exactly is he backtracking on?”
A hearing is scheduled Friday for Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez, for the court to hear more about Tenon’s statements.
Fernandez’s attorney read about Tenon’s comments in documents given to them by prosecutors and filed a motion requesting specific discovery earlier this week.
The next scheduled hearing for Tenon is set for April 14. While no official court filings indicate that Tenon’s attorney, Alan Chipperfield, has withdrawn from the case, legal experts suggest it’s something to watch for.
News4JAX has reached out to the State Attorney’s Office for comment and is awaiting a response.