JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two charges were dropped Monday morning against the man accused of hiring a hit man to kill a St. Johns County father of four.
Mario Fernandez Saldana is no longer facing conspiracy to commit murder in the 2022 killing of Jared Bridegan, or child abuse.
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Bridegan was shot and killed in Jacksonville Beach while his two-year-old daughter Bexley was strapped into the back seat.
Fernandez Saldana is still facing charges of murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
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Fernandez Saldana is accused of hiring Henry Tenon, who also appeared in court on Monday, to kill Bridegan.
Prosecutors say the murder was committed on behalf of Shanna Gardner, Bridegan’s ex-wife and Fernandez Saldana’s estranged wife.
The trials of Gardner, Tenon, and Fernandez Saldana will all be held separately.
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Fernandez Saldana’s trial is set to begin with jury selection on August 10.
Gardner’s trial will happen after Fernandez Saldana’s, as jury selection for hers begins on August 31.
Tenon’s case will not go to trial until March.
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