Husband of Microsoft executive’s ex-wife could face death penalty for roadside murder

Jared Bridegan gunned down in ‘cold blood’ as he drove two-year-old daughter in Jacksonville

Jared Bridegan was dropping his eldest twins off at his ex-wife’s home when he was murdered (Courtesy of Bridegan family)

The husband of the ex-wife of slain Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan could face the death penalty for his roadside murder in Florida.

Prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty for Mario Fernandez Saldana, who is accused in connection with the February 2022 killing.

Bridegan was murdered amid a family court fight with his ex-wife Shanna Gardner-Fernandez over custody and finances related to their 10-year-old twins.

The 33-year-old father of four was driving with his two-year-old daughter in Jacksonville when he stopped to move a tire out of the road. Investigators say that when he got out of his vehicle he was “gunned down in cold blood.”

Henry Tenon, who was a tenant of Mr Fernandez Saldan, has pleaded guilty to carrying out the murder and is cooperating with prosecutors. He faces 15 years to life in prison.

Mr Fernandez Saldana, the new husband of Ms Gardner-Fernandez, committed the crime for “pecuniary gain” and in a “cold calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification,” prosecutors alleged.

According to his arrest warrant, investigators found that he wrote Mr Tenon three checks and the pair made dozens of calls to each other during February 2022.

Mario Fernandez Saldana (OCJ)

The decision to pursue the death penalty in the case comes just days after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law requiring that only eight out of 12 jurors need to agree on the death sentence.

An old booking photo of Henry Tenon, now 61, who has been charged with second-degree murder connected to the 2022 death of Jared Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach, Florida (Florida Department of Corrections)

It replaces the previous law which needed a unanimous vote for the death penalty.