Mugshot of Shanna Gardner, ex-wife of Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan, is released as she is accused of hiring an hitman to gun him down in front of his daughter
- Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and her husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana, both 35, are charged in the execution-style shooting of 33-year-old Jared Bridegan.
- The mother of two was booked into the Duvall County Jail in Florida on Friday
- She faces first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and child abuse charges
The woman accused of hiring a hitman to kill her Microsoft executive husband smiled in her first mugshot.
Police in Florida have released a photo of Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, the ex-wife of Jared Bridegan, who is accused of hiring a hitman to kill.
The mother of two was booked into the Duvall County Jail on Friday on first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and child abuse charges.
She and husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana, both 35, are accused of hiring a hitman to shoot 33-year-old Jared Bridegan, who was killed in an execution-style attack in front of his infant daughter in Jacksonville Beach last year.
Dramatic bodycam footage captured the moment Gardner-Fernandez was arrested at her $1 million West Richland, Washington, home in August.
Police in Florida have released the first mugshot of Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, who is accused of hiring a hitman to shoot her ex-husband in front of his two-year-old daughter.
![Mugshot of Shanna Gardner, ex-wife of Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan, is released as she is accused of hiring an hitman to gun him down in front of his daughter 2 Microsoft CEO Jared Brigedan was shot on February 16 in front of his two-year-old daughter](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1698170168_706_Mugshot-of-Shanna-Gardner-ex-wife-of-Microsoft-exec-Jared-Bridegan.jpg)
Microsoft CEO Jared Brigedan was shot on February 16 in front of his two-year-old daughter
She was taken to the Benton County Jail before being extradited to Florida to face the charges.
Lawyers for the accused mother tried to fight the extradition after Florida State’s Attorney Melissa Nelson said she will seek the death penalty.
She was arrested a year and a half after the father-of-four was murdered execution-style just minutes from his ex-wife’s home in what police described as an “ambush” and “targeted” attack.
At the time, Bridegan was living in St. Augustine, Florida, in a $780,000 home with his new wife and children. He regularly drove to Jacksonville to visit the twins he shared with Gardner-Fernandez.
He had just dropped the children off at their mother’s house on February 16 when he was lured from his car by a tire placed in his path, police suspect.
He was shot next to his Opel Atlas while his two-year-old daughter Bexley sat in the backseat and barely escaped with her life.
It is believed to be Fernandez-Saldana’s former tenant Henry Tenon62, acted as the gunman in the murder. He confessed to the plot after being arrested for an unrelated crime.
Just five weeks after the murder, the accused couple took an all-inclusive vacation in Port St. Lucie. Footage from the break shows them laughing and making funny faces at the camera.
![Mugshot of Shanna Gardner, ex-wife of Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan, is released as she is accused of hiring an hitman to gun him down in front of his daughter 4 Gardner-Fernandez is accused of orchestrating the murder with her husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 35.](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Mugshot-of-Shanna-Gardner-ex-wife-of-Microsoft-exec-Jared-Bridegan.jpeg)
Gardner-Fernandez is accused of orchestrating the murder with her husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana, 35.
![Mugshot of Shanna Gardner, ex-wife of Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan, is released as she is accused of hiring an hitman to gun him down in front of his daughter 6 The mother of two was arrested in August at her $1 million home in Washington. She has denied being guilty of the charges.](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1698170171_556_Mugshot-of-Shanna-Gardner-ex-wife-of-Microsoft-exec-Jared-Bridegan.jpg)
The mother of two was arrested in August at her $1 million home in Washington. She has denied being guilty of the charges.
![Mugshot of Shanna Gardner, ex-wife of Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan, is released as she is accused of hiring an hitman to gun him down in front of his daughter 8 Gardner-Fernandez was pictured joking while vacationing in Port St. Lucie just five weeks after his ex-husband was murdered](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1698170173_674_Mugshot-of-Shanna-Gardner-ex-wife-of-Microsoft-exec-Jared-Bridegan.jpg)
Gardner-Fernandez was pictured joking while vacationing in Port St. Lucie just five weeks after his ex-husband was murdered
![Mugshot of Shanna Gardner, ex-wife of Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan, is released as she is accused of hiring an hitman to gun him down in front of his daughter 10 Mario Fernandez-Soldana, 35, has been implicated in the plot by police along with his wife](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1698170174_57_Mugshot-of-Shanna-Gardner-ex-wife-of-Microsoft-exec-Jared-Bridegan.jpg)
![Mugshot of Shanna Gardner, ex-wife of Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan, is released as she is accused of hiring an hitman to gun him down in front of his daughter 12 Henry Tenon, 62, confessed to the plot while being questioned for another crime](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1698170176_739_Mugshot-of-Shanna-Gardner-ex-wife-of-Microsoft-exec-Jared-Bridegan.jpg)
Mario Fernandez-Soldana, 35, (left) is also charged, along with suspected shooter Henry Tenon, 62
At the time of the murder, the former spouses were embroiled in a bitter custody battle that had raged since their 2015 divorce and centered on their 10-year-old twins Abby and Liam.
Gardner-Fernandez remarried in 2018 and sources reported that she became “wilder and wilder” as their relationship progressed.
A tattoo parlor employee recalled how shocked she was when she walked in and asked for a genital piercing.
Both suspects have pleaded not guilty to the charges and will stand trial.
Shanna’s parents released a statement after her arrest saying, “Words cannot accurately express the depth of our grief. Family is our top priority. We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time.
“In their interests and all those involved, we caution against further speculation and ask for privacy while the legal process takes its course.”
Fernandez-Soldana’s presence in his children’s lives also concerned Bridegan, according to those who know the family.
The father was described as a “devout” Mormon who worked as a software developer for Microsoft. His widow Kristen has said she will support the death penalty if his ex-wife is convicted.