JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jury selection is slated to begin August 10 in the trial of Mario Fernandez, the first of three defendants to be tried in the Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case.
Fernandez, along with his now-estranged wife, Shanna Gardner, is accused of hiring Henry Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez, to shoot and kill Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022.
Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, was Gardner’s ex-husband. They were in ongoing custody disputes over their twin children.
As Fernandez’s trial begins, the state will work to convince the jury that Fernandez took part in planning Bridegan’s death, while his defense Prior to Bridegan’s death, Duval County court records show that the only other offense Fernandez faced was a 2017 speeding ticket.
News4JAX spoke with Shannon Schott, a local attorney not affiliated with the case, about what can be expected from Fernandez’s jury selection.
“I don’t think it’s going to be difficult for them to empanel a jury,” Schott said. “I do have questions about the type of person that will be empaneled since they are going to have to have no connection to local news local news media, social media.”
RELATED: Timeline of the Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case
In February 2022, Bridegan’s death was a mystery. At first, the only clue was an old pick up truck speeding away from where Bridegan was killed, in front of his daughter - who sat in his vehicle, unharmed.
Fernandez’s indictment gives a hint that this murder may have been planned as early as 2021.
“If we go back to the time that Jared Bridegan was murdered, we know there were so many questions about and who could’ve done this,” Schott said. “We know there are months and months and probably pages of data that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was able to gather about why and how Jared Bridegan was murdered.”
Gardner, Fernandez and Tenon are all under indictment for first-degree murder and other charges and have each pleaded not guilty.
Jury selection could start as early as 9 a.m. August 10. News4JAX will be in the courtroom and will have live updates on-air and streaming on News4JAX+.