JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – According to court documents filed Friday, prosecutors will no longer be seeking the death penalty against the estranged husband and wife accused in the murder-for-hire plot that investigators say killed Jared Bridegan.
Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, shared in a post on the JusticeforJaredb Instagram page that she and his family “unanimously support and stand behind” the state’s decision.
Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, are both under indictment for first-degree murder and other charges. They have each pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege the couple orchestrated a murder-for-hire plot to kill Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, because Gardner was tired of sharing custody of her twin children with Bridegan.
In the early stages of the case, the state filed a motion in November 2023, giving notice of intent to seek the death penalty if either Gardner or Fernandez were to be convicted.
On Friday, new documents were filed with the court, withdrawing the earlier death penalty motions.
Kirsten Bridegan explained that Jared’s loved ones “have considered and weighed for quite some time” the state’s decision on the death penalty.
“Our decision to support the withdrawal of the death penalty is rooted entirely in our love for Jared’s oldest two children,” she wrote, explaining that no one in the family wants to prolong their suffering through years of appeals.
“This choice does not diminish the gravity or the evil of what was done,” Kirsten wrote. “We remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice for Jared and believe it will be seen in this life and the next.”
Alleged murder-for-hire scheme
Jared Bridegan was gunned down outside his SUV on Feb. 16, 2022, after he stopped to move a tire that was blocking the road.
He was taking his normal route home after dropping off the twins he shared with Gardner at her Jacksonville Beach home.
In September, the State Attorney’s Office provided new insight into the chaotic moments surrounding Bridegan’s shooting.
Multiple 911 calls on the night of the shooting captured varying perspectives of the incident, with witnesses reporting gunshots and an SUV stopped in the road with a man lying outside and a young girl inside.
According to police reports, the admitted gunman, Henry Tenon, fired four shots, two hit Bridegan and two hit the SUV, narrowly missing Bridegan’s daughter, who was a toddler at the time.
Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Bridegan case and agreed to testify against Gardner and Fernandez, but has since declared his desire to possibly withdraw his guilty plea.
That has not happened yet.
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Gardner and Fernandez will have separate juries for the trial, which is currently slated to begin with jury selection on Aug. 3, 2026.
The next pre-trial hearing will be held on Dec. 8.