The woman accused of hiring a hitman to kill her Microsoft-exec husband has appeared in court stony-faced and in an orange jumpsuit as she pleaded not guilty to orchestrating his murder.
Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, 36, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges relating to her ex-husband Jared Bridegan’s murder during her arraignment today.
She and her current husband, Mario Fernandez-Saldana, both 35, are accused of hiring a hitman to gun down Bridegan, 33, who was slain in an execution-style killing in front of his small daughter in Jacksonville Beach last year.
Gardner faces the death penalty and is charged with first-degree murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony, conspiracy to commit murder and child abuse.
Gardner was brought from Washington to Florida less than two weeks ago, where she’s being held currently with no bond. She was dramatically arrested in August.
Gardner-Fernandez appeared in court wearing an orange prison issue jumpsuit as her lawyer pleaded not guilty to the charges
Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, seen here, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges relating to her ex-husband Jared Bridegan’s murder
Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan was shot on February 16 in what police described as a murder-for-hire killing
Lawyers for the accused mom tried to fight the extradition after Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson stated she will be seeking the death penalty.
She was arrested a year and a half after the father-of-four was killed execution-style just minutes from his ex-wife’s home in what police described as an ‘ambush’ and ‘targeted’ attack.
At the time, Bridegan was living in St. Augustine, Florida, in a $780,000 home with his new wife and children.
He would regularly drive up to Jacksonville to visit the twins he shared with Gardner-Fernandez.
He had just dropped the children off at their mother’s house on February 16 2022 when he was lured from his car by a tire that had been placed in his path, police believe.
Bridegan was gunned down next to his Vauxhall Atlas while his two-year-old daughter Bexley was in the back seat, narrowly escaping with her life.
It is thought that Fernandez-Saldana’s former tenant Henry Tenon, 62, acted as the gunman in the killing. He confessed to the plot after being arrested for an unrelated crime.
Just five weeks after the killing, the accused couple took an all-inclusive vacation at Port St Lucie. Snaps from the break show them laughing and pulling silly faces at the camera.
The mom-of-two was arrested in August at her $1 million home in Washington. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Gardner-Fernandez was pictured joking around on holiday in Port St.Lucie just five weeks after he ex-husband was murdered
Suspected gunman Henry Tenon, 62, (left) has said he is willing to testify that Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 35, and his wife hired him to kill Bridegan
At the time of the murder the former spouses were locked in an acrimonious custody battle that had been raging since their divorce in 2015 and centered on their ten-year-old twins, Abby and Liam.
Gardner-Fernandez remarried in 2018 with sources reporting that she became ‘wilder and wilder’ as their relationship progressed.
One tattoo shop employee recalled their shock when she came in and asked for a genital piercing.
Both of the accused couple have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are due to stand trial.
Shanna’s parents issued a statement after her arrest, which said: ‘Words cannot accurately express the depth of our sadness. Family is our top priority.
Gardner-Fernandez has been accused of orchestrating the murder along with her husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 35
‘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.’
Fernandez-Soldana’s presence in his children’s lives was also a worry to Bridegan, according to those who know the family.
The father was described as a ‘devout’ Mormon who was working as a software developer for Microsoft. His widow Kristen has said she will support the death penalty if his ex-wife is convicted.
She previously said that the children had been ‘ripped apart’. In an emotional interview, Kirsten, 36, told .com of her ‘satisfaction’ about Shanna’s arrest.
‘There is satisfaction in knowing that the person I believe was the driving force behind this doesn’t get the privileges that she allegedly took from Jared,’ she said.
‘My personal thought is that I trust [the prosecutors] to make the best decision for the case and if that is the death penalty then we support that.’