Man accused in connection with Jared Bridegan murder to appear in court Monday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Monday morning, the man arrested in connection to the death of Jared Bridegan will appear in court to be arraigned.

Henry Tenon faces four charges ranging from second-degree murder to child abuse.

Bridegan, 33, was gunned down in Jacksonville Beach last year while his daughter was in the car.

The arraignment had initially been scheduled for Thursday — which marks a year since Feb. 16, 2022, when Bridegan was killed.

MORE: Conspiracy that led to Jared Bridegan’s murder began just over a month before targeted ambush shooting in Jax Beach: court records

News4JAX spoke to an attorney with no connection to the case and he said although things are just getting started, he believes the state will be relentless.

He said the state of Florida will be enthusiastically prosecuting the case until the end because a great deal of emphasis has been placed on the victim, and because the state likes to put the victims and their families first.

Tenon, 61, is expected to plead not guilty to the charges he facing on Monday but could change his plea later. He is accused of second-degree murder with a weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact and child abuse.

Tenon was arrested last month in connection to the death of Bridegan. Bridegan was shot to death last February in Jacksonville Beach. The father of four was ambushed after dropping off his twins to his ex-wife.

There was a tire in the road near the Sanctuary neighborhood and he stopped to move it and that’s when he was shot. His toddler was in the backseat of his SUV.

Attorney Randy Reep, who’s not involved in the case, said the charges Tenon is facing could lead to him spending life in prison.

Reep said with Tenon facing a conspiracy charge, there is a likelihood that he could cooperate with the state to give them more information to get the other person or people they are after.

“These charges may generate other information for the state to act upon,” Reep said. “To the extent that the defendant assists the government that could turn out to be a benefit to them.”

Defense attorney Curtis Fallgatter, also not involved with the case, believes the hardest charge for prosecutors to make stick is the conspiracy charge.

“We know the state has sealed the affidavit that was used to get the warrant to arrest him. That means they don’t want the public to know those facts. That means they’re out there investigating those facts,” he said.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson said at a news conference in January: “We know Henry Tenon did not act alone.”

The News4JAX I-TEAM has uncovered records confirming that Tenon rented a house owned by Mario Fernandez, who is married to Bridegan’s ex-wife. The home is in Northwest Jacksonville, about 25 miles from the scene of the Jacksonville Beach shooting.

There’s been a lot of public interest in Gardner-Fernandez and her second husband. She has proclaimed her innocence in interviews with other outlets.

According to sources, Gardner-Fernandez moved with her children across the country to Benton County, Washington, where her family has a home, and Fernandez remains in Florida.

Neither Gardner-Fernandez nor Fernandez have been charged with anything related to the case.


About the Author:

Khalil Maycock joined the News4JAX team in November 2022 after reporting in Des Moines, IA.