Ex-Wife Charged In Plot To Murder FL Microsoft Exec: Prosecutors

JACKSONVILLE, FL — The ex-wife of a Florida businessman and father of four who was brazenly shot last year in front of his 2-year-old daughter has been charged in connection with his murder, according to prosecutors.

Shanna Gardner was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder, and child abuse in connection with the February 2022 death of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan, State Attorney Melissa Nelson said during a news conference streamed by WJAX in Jacksonville.

Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for Gardner, Nelson said.

Gardner's current husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, was indicted by a grand jury five months ago on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, ABC News reported. Henry Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez Saldana, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year in exchange for testifying against Fernandez Saldana and any others who may have been involved in Bridegan's murder, according to reports.

"This investigation has uncovered the truth of Jared's murder," Nelson said during Thursday's news conference. "Henry Tenon did not act alone. Mario Fernandez did not plan alone, and Shanna Gardner's indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan."

Bridegan was killed Feb. 16, 2022, in Jacksonville Beach shortly after taking the twins he shared with Gardner, his wife and their two children out for dinner, according to WJAX.

After dropping the twins off at Gardner's house, he was gunned down outside his car after stopping to remove a tire from the road, reports said. His 2-year-old daughter was in the backseat of the car when her father was shot, WJAX reported.

Authorities have not revealed a motive, but according to an arrest warrant obtained by USA Today, "the investigation into Bridegan's background revealed a highly acrimonious divorce from his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and a contentious relationship with both Gardner and Fernandez Saldana."

Gardner was arrested at her home in Washington state, Nelson said. She will be extradited to Duval County to face charges.