JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Shanna Gardner and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, will appear in court Monday morning for a pre-trial hearing in Jared Bridegan\u2019s murder-for-hire case.<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s hearing will come after a major shift in how prosecutors plan to move forward with the case.<\/p>\n
Last month, prosecutors said they would no longer be seeking the death penalty<\/a> against the estranged husband and wife accused in the murder-for-hire plot that investigators say killed Jared Bridegan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bridegan\u2019s widow, Kirsten, shared in a post on the JusticeforJaredb Instagram page<\/a> that she and his family \u201cunanimously support and stand behind\u201d the state\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n Bridegan\u2019s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner<\/a>, and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez<\/a>, are both under indictment for first-degree murder and other charges. They have each pleaded not guilty. <\/p>\n RELATED | A friend of Shanna Gardner said she could help in Jared Bridegan\u2019s murder case. Here\u2019s what she told investigators<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n On Nov. 21, new documents were filed with the court, withdrawing the earlier death penalty motions.<\/p>\n Kirsten Bridegan explained that Jared\u2019s loved ones \u201chave considered and weighed for quite some time\u201d the state\u2019s decision on the death penalty.<\/p>\n \u201cOur decision to support the withdrawal of the death penalty is rooted entirely in our love for Jared\u2019s oldest two children,\u201d she wrote, explaining that no one in the family wants to prolong their suffering through years of appeals.<\/p>\n Alleged murder-for-hire scheme<\/p>\n Jared Bridegan was gunned down outside his SUV on Feb. 16, 2022, after he stopped to move a tire that was blocking the road. <\/p>\n He was taking his normal route home after dropping off the twins he shared with Gardner at her Jacksonville Beach home.<\/a><\/p>\n In September, the State Attorney\u2019s Office provided new insight into the chaotic moments surrounding Bridegan\u2019s shooting. <\/p>\n Multiple 911 calls on the night of the shooting<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n According to police reports, the admitted gunman, Henry Tenon, fired four shots, two hit Bridegan and two hit the SUV, narrowly missing Bridegan\u2019s daughter, who was a toddler at the time.<\/p>\n Tenon<\/a>, a former tenant of Fernandez, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Bridegan case and agreed to testify<\/a> against Gardner and Fernandez, but has since declared his desire to possibly withdraw his guilty plea<\/a>.<\/p>\n That has not happened yet.<\/p>\n RELATED | Follow the money: Checks written to Jared Bridegan\u2019s admitted killer connect him to 2 accused in \u2018murder-for-hire plot\u2019<\/a> | Jared Bridegan\u2019s wife files wrongful death lawsuit against 3 accused in his murder<\/a><\/p>\n Gardner and Fernandez will have separate juries for the trial, which is currently slated to begin with jury selection on Aug. 3, 2026.<\/p>\n Monday\u2019s pre-trial hearing will begin at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n