JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Family members spoke in court today before a judge sentenced Mario Fernandez Saldana to life in prison for his role in the 2022 murder of Jared Bridegan.
Circuit Judge London Kite handed down the sentence at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville.
Fernandez Saldana was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill Bridegan, the ex-husband of his now-estranged wife. In addition to the life term, Kite sentenced him to 30 years in prison on a second count.
Bridegan’s family members offered emotional testimony inside the courtroom prior to sentencing. One described the continuing heartache of milestone occasions without him.
“Every year, I have to buy a birthday cake for Jared. I sing to an empty chair. And I close my eyes, and I envision that he’s there with me,” the family member said
Kirsten Bridegan, widow of Jared Bridegan, addressed the court about the pain Fernandez Saldana caused their family and her feelings about his character.
“I don’t believe Mario Fernandez has any shred of remorse for what he’s done,” Kirsten Bridegan said. “Mario has always been a small man in comparison to Jared - small in stature, lacking in integrity, deficient in courage, and devoid of honor.
“If Jared was a gentle giant, Mario was a yappy little dog, who had to pay someone else to bite,” the widow said. “Mario knew that had the fight been fair, the outcome would have been completely different.”
Judge Kite delivered the final ruling following the victim impact statements.
“Court adjudicates you guilty of those crimes,” Kite said, ordering him to serve the “remainder of natural life” in prison along with the maximum 30-year sentence on another count.
Fernandez Saldana is also charged with two counts of child molestation in an unrelated case. He is scheduled to return to court for those charges on Dec. 2.
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