JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Defense attorneys in the Jared Bridegan murder for hire case argued with prosecutors today over whether two of the three defendants should be tried simultaneously.
Mario Fernandez Saldana and his estranged wife, Shanna Gardner, are accused of hiring Henry Tenon to kill Gardner’s first husband, Microsoft Executive Jared Bridegan, in Jacksonville Beach, over a child custody dispute in 2022.
There appeared to be disputes between lawyers for Fernandez, Gardner, and prosecutors about whether there should be separate trials, separate juries, or even how long each side expected the case to play out. It got to the point where the judge appeared frustrated at the confusion.
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“I need you all to stop talking in kind of generalities, give me practically what is occurring because in my mind gardener and Fernandez are set in stone. We are going to try this case,” Judge London Kite said.
Prosecutors supported both defendants being tried together with two separate juries. The jury for one defendant would be excused for certain witnesses of the other based on what is deemed relevant evidence for one to hear.
On the other hand, both defense lawyers wanted the two defendants, Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez Saldana, to be tried separately.
The Fernandez lawyers wanted a jury picked for both Fernandez and Gardner simultaneously, then have Gardner’s jury in waiting until Fernandez’s trial ends.
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Defense lawyers for Gardner wanted separate trials and separate jury selections, however the jury for Gardner would be picked right after the end of Fernandez’s trial.
Florida 4th Circuit Judge London Kite supported the defendants, Fernandez and Gardner, being tried together.
“I would be nervous and concerned for everything that Mr. Baez just said, which is you go send a jury home. There’s been great media interest in this case for them to sit down, so whatever jury you would’ve picked from Miss Gardner, you would have…you would have to pick 10 alternates…” Judge Kite added.
Kite wanted to avoid jurors, or potential jurors, seeing media coverage of the other defendant’s case and becoming biased or exposed to evidence not presented in the other’s trial.
A decision was not made by Judge Kite on Tuesday on the structure of a trial and jury selection. The court is set to resume on April 9th at 8:30 AM.
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