Mario Fernandez-Saldana, Husband of Microsoft Exec Jared Bridegan’s Ex, Arrested in Grisly Execution

The husband of Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife has been arrested and charged with the brazen execution of the Microsoft executive.

The Jacksonville Beach Police Department announced that Mario Fernandez-Saldana was arrested on Thursday morning for the February 2022 slaying of Bridegan, who was fatally shot last year as he tried to move a tire in the middle of a quiet residential Florida road while his daughter was still in the car.

Fernandez-Saldana, 35, is the second husband of Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, who was married to Bridegan for six years before their 2015 divorce. He has been indicted on several charges, including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The arrest comes months after Fernandez-Saldana’s handyman and tenant, Henry Tenon, was arrested in connection with the Feb. 16, 2022, slaying. State Attorney Melissa Nelson said in a press conference that Tenon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Thursday.

“Henry Tenon has admitted that he was the shooter,” Nelson said on Thursday.

Police say that Bridegan was returning to his St. Augustine home after dropping off his twins at his ex-wife’s house when he came upon a tire in the middle of the road. After leaving his 2-year-old daughter in the backseat of his Volkswagen Atlas, Bridegan was fatally shot multiple times “in cold blood” as he was trying to move the obstacle.

The toddler, who is one of two daughters he shares with Kirsten Bridegan, was unharmed in the attack and was still in her car seat when an individual drove by minutes later and called authorities. Police say that when they arrived at the crime scene, the hazard lights of Bridegan’s car were flashing and the tire was still on the road.

At the time of Tenon’s arrest, authorities did not provide any details about his connection to Bridegan but alleged in a complaint against him that he conspired with at least one accomplice for six weeks prior to the slaying.

Public records obtained by The Daily Beast showed that Tenon, 61, lived at a Jacksonville home that, until October, was owned by Fernandez-Saldana. Tenon also reportedly worked as a handyman for several of Fernandez’s Jacksonville rental properties.

A spokesperson for Garnder-Fernandez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thursday’s arrest marks another major development in the “targeted” attack against the senior design manager. As previously reported by The Daily Beast, the Mormon dad’s death exposed his complicated marriage and February 2015 divorce from Garnder-Fernandez.

Since their divorce, Bridegan and Garnder-Fernandez remained locked in a contentious court battle in St. Johns County, which included fights over child custody and allegations of mental manipulation.

Garnder-Fernandez and the twins have since moved to Washington amid media scrutiny.

Kirsten Bridegan told The Daily Beast last year that despite the ongoing battle with his ex-wife, she and Bridegan had figured out a schedule to ensure that he could see his children. As part of the custody agreement, the Bridegans would see the twins on Wednesdays for “date night” when they were not with them.

“It usually consisted of a dinner and a quick activity like dinner or dessert, and then the parent would drop the kids back off at the other parent’s house,” Kirsten previously explained, noting that her husband was returning home from one of those “date nights” when he was fatally shot.

On Thursday, Bridegan’s widow thanked authorities for their continued efforts in finding her husband’s killer.

“We have great relief, but are also angry that they were waking free and Jared wouldn’t be here,” she added.