JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A judge agreed last month that Kirsten Bridegan, the widow of Jared Bridegan, would have to sit for a second deposition with the attorneys of her late husband’s ex-wife, who is one of those accused of orchestrating his murder.
But the judge’s order, issued July 3, limits what Kirsten Bridegan can be asked to seven specific topics and caps the deposition at two hours.
Jared Bridegan was killed in 2022 in what prosecutors describe as a murder-for-hire plot. His ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, are accused of orchestrating the killing.
A third defendant, Henry Tenon, previously pleaded guilty to shooting Bridegan but withdrew that plea in February. A judge decided in May that some incriminating statements he made to prosecutors cannot be used during his first-degree murder trial. But sworn statements he made as part of his previous plea deal can be used.
Why a second deposition was ordered
Court documents show Kirsten Bridegan declined to answer a series of questions during her first deposition about communications with a minor, whose name is redacted in the order. According to the order, she would not answer those questions “unless a judge makes [her] do so.”
After a break, she did return and answered some questions about her communications with the child. Because she answered some questions but not others, the court ordered the limited second deposition.
Attorney Gene Nichols, who is not associated with the case, explained why that distinction matters.
“The rules are very clear in civil cases and in criminal cases,” Nichols said. “If the deponent is not answering the questions, the door gets reopened to continue a deposition — not to go into everything all over again, but to go into those topics that we either objected to, were subsequently certified, and or what she claimed that she just did not know.”
What can be asked in the second deposition
The judge limited questioning to seven specific topics. Among them are any messages Kirsten Bridegan exchanged with the child between Dec. 25, 2025, and the date of the second deposition, as well as screenshots she took of those communications.
Attorneys can also ask about her usernames or handles on Snapchat, BeReal, and X — including when those accounts were created, deleted, deactivated, or transferred — if she used or maintained them at any point in 2025 or 2026.
Nichols said the focus on those specific platforms is telling.
“Quite frankly, I think there’ll be questions as to why she’s communicating with the child through social media platforms that in and of themselves are not keeping or recording or storing that information,” Nichols said. “So I think that’s a lot of what we’ve got going on, at least with this order.”
Nichols also noted the court’s balancing act in this case.
“There’s no question that the court is going to do everything they can to protect a victim in this case and protect the widow of the victim in this case,” he said. “But at the same time, defense counsel has the absolute right to depose that witness and has the absolute right to get answers to their questions.”
News4JAX reached out to Kirsten Bridegan’s attorney and the Bridegan Foundation for comment on the court order. Neither had responded as of publication.
Three trials on the horizon
The cases against Mario Fernandez and Shanna Gardner have been building for years.
Fernandez’s trial is the first to move forward. Jury selection is expected to begin August 10, with the trial following the next week. Gardner’s jury selection is scheduled to start August 31. Henry Tenon’s trial is set for March 29, 2027.
Nichols said the outcome of Fernandez’s trial could shape what happens in the two trials that follow.
“Mario Fernandez’s trial could have a tremendous impact on what happens with Shanna Gardner’s trial,” he said. “For Shanna Gardner, it is almost a first chance to see what a jury is going to think, what they’re going to see, what the rulings are going to be, what the testimony is going to be like.”
He added that the ripple effect could extend even further.
“It’s going to have an impact on what happens with those other two trials,” Nichols said. “Whichever way the dominoes go, it is going to have an impact no matter what.”