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Shanna Gardner, accused in murder-for-hire case, stole from inmate, had makeshift tattoo device in jail, report says

Gardner, estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, accused in 2022 murder of Jared Bridegan, Gardnerโ€™s ex-husband

Shanna Gardner in court (WJXT)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ€“ Disciplinary records obtained by News4JAX show that Shanna Gardner, who is accused of hiring someone to kill her ex-husband, was disciplined and accused of theft, disorderly conduct, lying to a staff member and possessing a makeshift tattoo device.

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According to the records, Gardner was seen last year going into a cell and taking commissary items costing more than $50 from an inmate and the items were later found under her bunk. When confronted, Gardner had nothing to say, according to the report.

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In January, a corrections officer said they discovered โ€œa pencil with a sharp metal object tied to the eraser end using thread,โ€ which suggested that โ€œit was being utilized as a makeshift tattoo gun.โ€ Gardner said it was not hers and that โ€œsomeone was trying to set her up,โ€ but her commissary and visitation privileges were revoked for two weeks, records show.

Gardner and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, are accused in the 2022 murder of Jared Bridegan, Gardnerโ€™s ex-husband.

Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, was killed in an ambush-style shooting in Jacksonville Beach in 2022.

Gardner and Fernandez are under indictment for first-degree murder in Brideganโ€™s killing, and both face the possibility of the death penalty.

Jury selection in the murder-for-hire case trial is scheduled for Oct. 20.