“We are dedicated to his defence and are optimistic that when all of the facts are made available our client will be exonerated,” he said.
He was arrested after triggerman Henry Arthur Tenon, 62, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, court records show. He agreed to testify against Fernandez Saldana and Gardner, Nelson said.
Nelson did not say what led to Gardner’s arrest or mention a motive.
“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,” Nelson said.
Bridegan, a father of four and a software developer for Microsoft, was ambushed on February 16, 2022, as he was leaving a Jacksonville Beach neighbourhood after dropping off twin children he shared with Gardner and returning to his home in nearby St Augustine.
Police said that there was a tyre in the dimly lit street and that Bridegan presumably opened his car door to move the tyre. That’s when he was shot multiple times as his 2-year-old daughter sat in her car seat. She was found unharmed in the car.
Gardner married Fernandez Saldana in 2018 and moved to Washington following media coverage of the case, officials said.
After the killing, she told news outlets she wasn’t involved in Bridegan’s death.
A warrant for Gardner’s arrest said an investigation into Bridegan’s background revealed the couple had a “highly acrimonious divorce” and a “contentious relationship” with both Gardner and Fernandez Saldana.
Gardner’s parents, Shelli and Sterling Gardner, issued a statement.
“Words cannot accurately express the depth of our sadness,” they said. “Family is our top priority. We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time. For their sake and all involved, we caution against further speculation and request privacy as the legal process runs its course.”
Kristin Bridegan said the arrest ends one chapter.
“Shanna’s arrest ends one horrific chapter of our pursuit of justice for Jared and now we open a new one,” she said. “This next chapter will be excruciating. ... We expect justice to be carried out to the fullest extent of the law.”
