Microsoft exec’s widow faces man accused of plotting her husband’s brutal murder, reveals eerie final call

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Key points

• The recordings placed the truck near Ocean Cay and Builders Choice regarding 6: 50 p.m., but investigators could not produce out its license plate, the corporal noted.
• Judge London Kite ordered Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana to stand trial separately after Tenon withdrew his plea and cooperation agreement.
• Kirsten's testimony detailed a fractured co-parenting relationship among Bridegan, his ex-wife Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana.
• Kirsten Bridegan took the witness stand as Mario Fernandez Saldana's murder trial obtained underway in Florida.
• Kirsten testified that the Wednesday outing was a long-standing routine, Bexley always went with him and Bridegan typically drove the black Volkswagen Atlas.

For context, the widow of slain Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan came face to face Monday with the man accused of helping to plan his killing, recounting the bitter custody conflict and final phone call that preceded the roadside ambush.

Prosecutors allege Fernandez Saldana supported plan and finance the killing and that Henry Tenon was the gunman.

Fernandez Saldana has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say the state cannot prove he solicited or intended Bridegan's death.

On Tuesday, jurors watched Nest and Ring footage that prosecutors remarked traced Bridegan's black Volkswagen Atlas and a blue two-tone truck through South Jacksonville Beach in the minutes before the killing.

While nearby audio captured gunfire, a Jacksonville Beach corporal testified that another camera indicated a person prosecutors identified as Tenon walking, then running, from the scene.

Meanwhile, the recordings placed the truck near Ocean Cay and Builders Choice regarding 6: 50 p.m., but investigators could not produce out its license plate, the corporal noted.

"There's absolutely no trust, " Kirsten informed jurors, saying the families relied almost entirely on texts and emails to communicate. Start your day with all you need to know. Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

Kirsten described disputes over parenting time, medical expenses, schooling and religious decisions involving Bridegan's twins. Prosecutors say the years-long conflict supported fuel the alleged murder-for-hire plot.

Bridegan, 33, had just dropped off the twins after taking them and his daughter Bexley to dinner when the ambush unfolded, prosecutors say.

Kirsten remarked she spoke to Bridegan after he dropped off the twins and Bexley excitedly informed her they had gotten ice cream. The call then concluded in an unusual silence, she testified.

"It was strange. I remember feeling like it was strange since after I was like, 'All right, well, love you, I'll see you shortly.' He was just quiet, " she noted. "I was like, 'Okay, it's kind of weird, ' and hung up, but it was like a pause and just quiet."

When Bridegan did not return home, she began calling and drove toward Jacksonville Beach with her mother until a police officer answered her husband's phone and directed her to the police station.

Officers initially would not tell her what had happened, Kirsten testified. She remarked they questioned her concerning Bridegan before eventually informing her that he had been shot and killed.

Jurors additionally watched a recorded interview on Tuesday, in which Fernandez Saldana suggested Bridegan may have been killed over capital, offering an alternate theory of motive while detectives were still investigating the case.

"We don't know s-t, " Fernandez Saldana remarked before raising the possibility that Bridegan had been involved in a money-related challenge.

He additionally described Gardner-Fernandez as furious with the school for notifying parents concerning the killing and discussed ongoing hostility over co-parenting and control of the children.

Notably, the case has since produced three arrests, a withdrawn cooperation plea and a series of separate trials. Here is a timeline of Bridegan's killing, the family conflict behind the allegations and the court proceedings ahead. Feb. 23, 2015: Shanna Gardner-Fernandez files for divorce from Jared Bridegan.

Gardner-Fernandez filed for divorce from Bridegan after five years of marriage. The couple shared twins and eventually reached a joint-custody agreement.

Meanwhile, the divorce did not end their disputes. They continued fighting in family court over matters including custody, child backing and where their children would attend school. Prosecutors afterwards described that prolonged conflict as central to the alleged motive.

Bridegan married Kirsten Bridegan in 2017. The couple afterwards had two children, Bexley and London.

Kirsten became a prominent voice for Bridegan's family after his killing, seeking answers as authorities investigated the roadside ambush. She has remarked the family would not rest until everyone involved was held accountable.

Gardner-Fernandez met Fernandez Saldana at a CrossFit gym, where he worked in maintenance. The two afterwards married.

Prosecutors allege Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana planned and financed a murder-for-hire plot against Bridegan. Feb. 16, 2022: Jared Bridegan is killed in Jacksonville Beach.

Bridegan had taken his twins and Bexley to dinner before dropping off the older children at Gardner-Fernandez's home.

Regarding three miles away, he encountered a tire placed in the middle of a dark, secluded Jacksonville Beach road, prosecutors say.

Bridegan stepped out of his Volkswagen Atlas to move the tire at regarding 7: 30 p.m. And was repeatedly shot, authorities stated. Bexley, then 2, remained strapped into her car seat as bullets entered the SUV. A passerby pulled her from the vehicle regarding three minutes afterwards.

Authorities arrested Tenon almost a year after Bridegan's killing. He was charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact and child abuse.

Prosecutors afterwards alleged Tenon was the gunman in a murder-for-hire plot. Investigators remarked the key link between Tenon and Bridegan was Fernandez Saldana. This person had rented a Jacksonville home to Tenon and hired him for work at rental properties. March 16, 2023: Tenon initially pleads guilty and agrees to cooperate.

Tenon initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under a cooperation agreement that pressed him to testify against others accused in the case. The accord exposed him to a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Tenon afterwards withdrew the plea and cooperation agreement, altering the path of the prosecution. He is now scheduled to face a separate trial. March 16, 2023: Mario Fernandez Saldana is arrested.

Authorities arrested Fernandez Saldana in Orlando shortly after Tenon's initial plea hearing. Bridegan's ex-wife's husband was charged with first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.

Prosecutors remarked Tenon's cooperation corroborated evidence that Fernandez Saldana assisted plan and execute Bridegan's killing.

Investigators additionally cited checks Fernandez Saldana wrote to Tenon and phone records showing the men communicated dozens of times around the killing.

Authorities arrested Gardner-Fernandez and charged Bridegan's ex-wife with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and child endangerment in the alleged plot.

Prosecutors allege Gardner-Fernandez, Fernandez Saldana and Tenon played distinct roles in a planned killing. Gardner-Fernandez has denied the allegations.

For now, microsoft exec's widow faces man accused of plotting her husband's brutal murder, remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.