Sagsmappe
Jared Bridegan — The Murder of a Tech Executive in Florida
En iskoldt planlagt henrettelse på en mørk vej i Jacksonville Beach efterlod fire børn uden far
BEVIS
A father on his way home with his young daughter
On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, Jared Bridegan — 33 years old and a technology executive at Synacor, a Microsoft partner firm — was driving along Sanctuary Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. With him in the car was his and ex-wife Shanna Gardner's two-year-old daughter, Bexley, whom he had just picked up following a custody exchange. It was a routine handover — one of many during a long and conflict-ridden divorce process.
Suddenly, there was an obstacle in the middle of the road. Bridegan stopped his car to move what appeared to be a wire fence panel. As he stepped out of the vehicle, one or more perpetrators opened fire on him. He was struck by multiple gunshots and died at the scene. Little Bexley sat alone in the car waiting when neighbors, drawn by the sound of gunfire, discovered the scene minutes later.
Timeline
22 February 2022
Jared Bridegan skydes og dræbes
Bridegan bliver skudt på Sanctuary Boulevard i Jacksonville Beach, Florida, mens hans toårige datter Bexley sidder i bilen.
1 March 2022
Gilberto Cabrera anholdes
Politiet anholder Gilberto Cabrera som den formodede gerningsmand til skuddrabene.
15 May 2022
Henry Tenon indgår samarbejdsaftale
Mellemleddet Henry Tenon erklærer sig skyldig og begynder at samarbejde med anklagemyndigheden — hans forklaring peger på Shanna Gardner-Fernandez.
1 September 2022
Shanna Gardner-Fernandez anholdes
Ekskonen Shanna Gardner-Fernandez og hendes mand Mario Fernandez Saldana sigtes for mord i første grad og sammensværgelse om mord.
10 June 2023
Mario Fernandez Saldana erklærer sig skyldig
Mario Fernandez Saldana indgår aftale med anklagemyndigheden, erkender sin rolle i mordet og idømmes 30 år.
15 April 2024
Shanna Gardner-Fernandez kendes skyldig
Efter en langvarig retssag kendes Shanna Gardner-Fernandez skyldig i drab i første grad og idømmes livstid uden mulighed for prøveløsladelse.
Victim and background
Jared Bridegan held a degree in economics and had built a career in the technology industry. He lived in Jacksonville Beach with his wife Kirsten Bridegan, whom he had married in 2020, along with their newborn twins. From his first marriage to Shanna Gardner, he had twins Mason and Zoe, as well as young Bexley. Friends and colleagues described Jared as a devoted father and a calm, easy-going person — not a man with obvious enemies.
His divorce from Shanna Gardner, however, had been anything but peaceful. It dragged on for years, cost both parties enormous sums in legal fees, and was marked by bitter disputes over custody and finances. Friends of Jared described Shanna as controlling and vindictive, and according to close acquaintances, Jared had expressed concerns about his personal safety in the months leading up to the murder.
The investigation points to the ex-wife's circle
Police in Jacksonville Beach immediately launched a massive investigation. Detectives quickly focused on the people connected to Jared Bridegan's divorce proceedings. Surveillance footage, phone data, and witness statements slowly began to paint a picture of a planned, premeditated murder.
In March 2022, Gilberto Cabrera — a 27-year-old man with no established ties to Florida — was arrested on suspicion of firing the shots. Investigators believed from the outset that Cabrera had acted on orders, that someone had paid him to kill Jared Bridegan.