JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Prosecutors revealed Friday that the alleged gunman in the 2022 murder of Jared Bridegan may not have acted alone, a significant development disclosed during a pretrial hearing less than two weeks before the first of three trials is set to begin.
Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi made the disclosure during Mario Fernandez’s pretrial hearing Friday.
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“We also have overwhelming evidence that there was a conspiracy in this case,” Mizrahi said. “We know that multiple people are involved.”
What prosecutors say happened
Bridegan was killed in an ambush shooting in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022. Prosecutors say Henry Tenon left a tire in the road to force Bridegan out of his SUV before firing the fatal shots.
On Friday, the state went further about what happened after the shooting.
“When the victim was killed, there is a person that fled on foot and a person that fled in a vehicle,” Mizrahi said in court. “We know that Henry Tenon left his DNA behind on that tire, and we know that Henry Tenon was not driving the pick-up truck that fled the scene.”
Fernandez, his ex-wife Shanna Gardner — who was also previously married to Bridegan — and Tenon are all charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Defense likely not surprised, attorney says
News4JAX spoke with Jacksonville attorney Shannon Schott, who’s not associated with the case, about what the development could mean heading into trial.
“Based on the fact that there was not a huge reaction from the defense during the hearing, it is likely that the defense was already aware that this is what the state was going to argue,” Schott said. “Certainly the state has no duty to tell the defense every single point that they’re going to argue. However, they do have to clearly charge a defendant and give them the ability to prepare.”
Schott added there are still open questions about what the state knew and when, and what has been shared with the defense.
What to watch as trial approaches
With the trial starting in less than two weeks, Schott said a last-minute deal from one of the three defendants is not out of the question.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the three defendants decided to cooperate on the verge of trial,” she said. “Ten days is a lot of time in what we do. A lot of changes could be made, a lot of decisions could be made. And certainly the outcome of this case will absolutely impact the other two defendants.”
Earlier this week, two of Fernandez’s charges — conspiracy to commit murder and child abuse — were dropped. He still faces charges of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
Jury selection in Fernandez’s trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 10.