JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed to hold separate trials for Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez in the high-profile murder-for-hire case involving Jared Bridegan.
Gardner and Fernandez are both charged in the February 2022 shooting death of Bridegan, a father of four who was ambushed and killed while driving home with his toddler daughter. Gardner is Bridegan’s ex-wife, and they share twins. Henry Tenon, the accused gunman, is also charged. All three have pleaded not guilty.
The decision to split the trials comes after Tenon withdrew his guilty plea and said he will no longer testify against Gardner or Fernandez. The cases were previously expected to be tried together with separate juries.
Judge London Kite set new dates during a pre-trial hearing on Thursday. Fernandez’s jury selection is scheduled for Aug. 10 –14 with 250 potential jurors, followed by trial Aug. 17–28. Gardner’s jury selection will take place Aug. 31–Sept 4 with a pool of 500 jurors, and her trial is set for Sept. 8–25.
Kite had proposed sealing the verdict in Fernandez’s trial until Gardner’s case concluded to avoid influencing jurors, but Fernandez’s attorney objected, citing concerns his client could remain jailed unnecessarily if acquitted. The judge instead agreed to expand Gardner’s jury pool to help screen out potential jurors affected by pre-trial publicity.
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