The ex-wife of a Florida Microsoft executive who was gunned down in front of his 2-year-old daughter last year has been arrested in Washington state and charged in connection with the killing — and prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty in the case.
Long a suspect in father of four Jared Bridegan’s brutal Jacksonville Beach slaying, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez was collared after a grand jury handed down a first-degree murder indictment Thursday morning.
“Shanna Gardner’s indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan,” State Attorney Melissa Nelson said at a press conference after her arrest.
Apprehended at her home, Gardner-Fernandez will be extradited to Duval County and also face conspiracy, solicitation and child abuse charges.
Prosecutors confirmed that they plan to seek the death penalty in the case.
Bridegan, 33, was killed in February of last year after dropping off the two children he shared with Gardner-Fernandez at her home in the upscale suburb.
The pair were in the midst of an increasingly bitter custody fight at the time.
Jared Bridegan was killed in front of his 2-year-old daughter last year
Bridegan — who remarried and had two small children with his new wife — was traveling home with his daughter Bexley when he came upon a tire in the middle of the road and stopped his SUV.
Officers said the 33-year-old was shot several times at close range and are calling the crime a “targeted” murder.
Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, moved 2,800 miles across the country soon after the shooting and “distanced” herself from her second husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana.
She will be extradited to Duval County and also face conspiracy, solicitation and child abuse charges.
“Shanna Gardner’s indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan,” State Attorney Melissa Nelson said at a press conference after her arrest.
With his daughter looking on from the backseat, Bridegan was shot dead after exiting his vehicle to move the tire.
The traumatized tot — who narrowly avoided being struck by the gunfire — remained alone at the scene for several excruciating minutes until a passerby stopped and called police.
Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and her husband Mario Fernandez have both been charged with murder.
Gardner-Fernandez’s new husband, Mario Saldana-Fernandez, was arrested in connection with the callous killing in March.
Cops said he conspired with a tenant in one of his rental properties to orchestrate Bridegan’s killing.
Convict Henry Tenon was arrested in January and agreed to cooperate with investigators after admitting to pulling the trigger.
Shanne Gardner-Fernandez moved to Washington after the killing. momandpaparazzi.com / BACKGRID
Gardner-Fernandez moved across the country to Washington soon after her ex-husband’s murder and distanced herself from Fernandez.
Hailing from a wealthy Mormon family in Utah, Gardner-Ferndandez had relatives use an LLC to purchase a new home in West Richland.
Suspicions about Gardner-Fernandez spiked after a tattoo parlor owner came forward and said she once inquired about a way to “get rid of” of Bridegan.
A tenant of Fernandez has been charged with pulling the trigger. Jacksonville Police
She admitted making the ominous statement to a local newspaper but staunchly denied any role in the crime.
Bridegan and Gardner-Fernandez divorced in 2015, but their court war carried on for years until his murder.
Officers said the 33-year-old was shot several times at close range and are calling the crime a “targeted” murder.
Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, moved 2,800 miles across the country soon after the shooting and “distanced” herself from her second husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana.
She will be extradited to Duval County and also face conspiracy, solicitation and child abuse charges.
“Shanna Gardner’s indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan,” State Attorney Melissa Nelson said at a press conference after her arrest.
The slain father’s heartbroken widow, Kirsten Bridegan, had openly suspected Gardner-Fernandez of masterminding his slaying.
The slain father’s heartbroken widow, Kirsten Bridegan, had openly suspected Gardner-Fernandez of masterminding his slaying. Fox News
“This was orchestrated, this was planned and this was specific to Jared,” she said after Tenon’s arrest.
Bexley, she said, continues to absorb the pain of her dad’s death — and sometimes recoils at loud noises that remind her of the fatal gun blasts.
“She heard the noises of the shots that killed her dad, and she was alone wondering what happened to him, and he’s not answering her for minutes — and minutes are an eternity for a child,” she said.
The widow and several friends and family of the murdered dad were on hand at the press conference for Thursday’s announcement.
