JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The defense team for Shanna Gardner’s estranged husband, Mario Fernandez, who is accused in the high-profile Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case, sought detailed written responses from the state’s key witness.
Fernandez’s attorneys filed an eight-page motion for interrogatories on Monday, requesting that Henry Tenon, the admitted gunman in the 2022 murder, answer specific questions before his deposition.
“I think it’s a smart plan by the defense to try and get these answers before they walk into a deposition,” said Gene Nichols, an attorney who is not involved in the case.
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The motion described Tenon as “the most crucial State’s witness” and included eight multi-part questions. Among them, the defense wanted to know how much Fernandez allegedly agreed to pay for the homicide and details about how any payment was received.
“He’s using the same thought process to say, hey, without having to take too much time in depositions and hearings and the like, let’s hone in on the issues,” Nichols said. He noted this mechanism was predominantly used in civil cases rather than criminal proceedings.
Nichols anticipated resistance from prosecutors. “The state of Florida is going to object. They’re going to come back and say no,” he said. “Presumably, they are not going to want to have Henry Tenon boxed in with answers prior to his deposition.”
Prosecutors alleged Bridegan was killed in a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez. Tenon had already pleaded guilty to carrying out the murder.
In February, we reported that Tenon attempted to claim his testimony was false during a January court hearing.
Nichols said it’s a waiting game to see how the state responds to the motion and how that previous claim will factor in.
“This is the attempt for the defense without necessarily sitting down at a deposition to find out exactly what Henry Tenon has told the state,” he said. “There’s no doubt that whether or not he’s withdrawing his plea, if he does or if he doesn’t, this is going to probably bring that to the surface relatively quickly.”
Several key dates were approaching in the case. Tenon’s next status hearing was set for Jan. 12, followed by a pretrial hearing for Fernandez and Gardner on Feb. 6. The trial was scheduled to begin on Aug. 17.
The State Attorney’s Office had not responded to requests for comment on the motion.