If the motion is approved by Judge London Kite, confessed hitman Henry Tenon will go on trial along with Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The man who confessed to murdering St. Augustine father of four Jared Bridegan in what police and prosecutors are calling a murder-for-hire case, has filed a motion looking to withdraw his guilty plea, court records show.
If the motion is approved by Judge London Kite, confessed hitman Henry Tenon, 65, will go on trial along with Bridegan’s ex-wife Shanna Gardner, 32, and her second husband, Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 37.
The motion, filed in Duval County Friday, does not state a reason why Tenon is deciding to withdraw his plea.
Bridegan was murdered on Feb. 16, 2022. Police have called his killing a “murder-for-hire plot” orchestrated by Gardner and Fernandez. Both Gardner and Fernandez have pleaded not guilty to all their charges.
Prosecutors charged Tenon with second-degree murder with a weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact and child abuse in the case.
As part of Tenon’s plea agreement, prosecutors would have dropped all of his charges except second-degree murder in exchange for him “truthfully” testifying against Gardner and Fernandez.
Tenon is set to be back in court Tuesday, Feb. 17. On that date, a later date will be set to hear his motion intending to withdraw his plea.
The trial for Gardner and Fernandez is scheduled to begin on Aug. 10.
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