JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Attorneys for Shanna Gardner, who is accused of plotting to have her ex-husband, Jared Bridegan, killed in 2022 are arguing against the death penalty in her case.
Gardner and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, were back in court on Thursday -- for the last time in 2024.
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Both are indicted on charges of first-degree murder in Bridegan’s killing, and prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty for both.
But since the pair’s last appearance in court in late October, Gardner’s attorneys have filed six motions seeking to block the death penalty in her case.
Court documents do not show any motions filed for Fernandez related to the death penalty.
Gardner’s defense is trying to prevent the state from using the word “recommendation” to describe a jury’s role in the case if it reaches the penalty phase. Attorneys argue it misleads jurors.
The defense also says the case should not be held to the new state law that says a jury needs an 8-4 vote to recommend the death penalty. Instead, it says the case should be under the old state law requiring a unanimous decision since Bridegan’s murder happened in 2022 before the new state law was passed.
Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, was gunned down outside his SUV on Feb. 16, 2022, after he stopped to move a tire that was blocking the road.
He was taking his normal route home after dropping off the twins he shared with Gardner at her Jacksonville Beach home.
According to police reports, the admitted gunman Henry Tenon fired four shots, two hit Bridegan and two hit the SUV.
Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Bridegan case and agreed to testify against the estranged couple.
Financial records released a few days ago by the State Attorney’s Office as evidence in the case show several large payments Fernandez made to Tenon in the weeks after Bridegan’s murder.
Three checks to Tenon, which were signed by Fernandez, were for:
- $2,000 on March 28 (For landscaping and clearing)
- $3,000 on March 28 (For keeping up with the roof)
- $5,000 on April 4 (For Kickstarter Good Luck!!)
The checks were written from First Choice Home Rentals LLC, a company co-owned by Gardner and Fernandez.
The courts also recently settled a custody dispute between Gardner’s parents and Bridegan’s parents over the care of the couple’s twins.
Full guardianship was granted to Gardner’s parents, who live in Washington state, with visitation rights for the Bridegans, according to sources for the Florida Times-Union.
Gardner and Fernandez will be back in court on Jan. 6, 2025.
Jury selection in the murder-for-hire case is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 20, 2025.