JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A motion asking for a continuance for Shanna Gardner’s murder trial, which was granted Thursday by Judge London Kite, gives a glimpse at a possible new defense strategy for Gardner’s team, involving newly filed charges against her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez.
Gardner, 39, has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse in the deadly ambush shooting of her ex-husband, Jared Bridegan. She has pleaded not guilty.
Fernandez was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony in Bridegan’s death.
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Prosecutors have said that Gardner and Fernandez conspired together to hire a gunman to kill Bridegan, Gardner’s ex-husband, after years of contentious custody disputes over the twins they shared.
But in the filing requesting a delay for Gardner’s trial, which was slated to start jury selection Monday, Gardner’s defense argues that Fernandez had a motive to kill Bridegan that had nothing to do with Gardner.
According to Gardner’s attorneys, that motive is related to two counts of lewd & lascivious molestation that were filed against Fernandez shortly after his murder conviction.
Because the charges were filed so recently, her attorneys argue, they need more time to investigate the abuse and how it might relate to a motive for Bridegan’s murder.
Prosecutors have described Bridegan’s ambush shooting as a murder-for-hire, carried out by Henry Tenon, who once lived at a rental property owned by Fernandez.
Again, Judge London Kite granted the unopposed defense motion for a continuance, and Gardner’s trial has been pushed back until mid-2027.
Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler said in court on Thursday that the state plans to take the Tenon and Gardner cases back to the grand jury and have them joined so they can be tried together in 2027.
That’s likely what will happen moving forward.
For now, Kite has rescheduled Gardner’s trial to begin with jury selection on May 3, 2027, with three weeks of trial scheduled to start May 10, 2027.
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