Suspect in Microsoft exec's murder-for-hire slaying wished 'good luck!' to hit man: witness

Mario Fernandez, husband of Shanna Gardner, the ex-wife of slain Microsoft manager Jared Bridegan, wrote "good luck!" on a check written to the hit man they allegedly hired to carry out Bridegan's murder in 2022, a witness testified during a Wednesday bond hearing.

A Duval County, Florida courtroom heard testimony from several witnesses on Wednesday during a hearing to determine whether Gardner — a mother of two charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child endangerment — should be allowed bond in the murder case.

Gardner and Fernandez Saldana, her second husband, allegedly offered $150,000 to Henry Tenon, Fernandez-Saldana's former tenant, to carry out the murder. A $5,000 check to Tenon dated April 4, 2022, from Gardner's and Saldana's LLC, First Choice Home Rentals, reads, "Kickstarter" and "Good luck!," according to Jacksonville Beach Police Department Det. Chris Johns.

"Mr. Tenon stated that this was the first of many payments that were supposed to be an investment into his pallet company which was actually payment for the homicide," Johns, the lead detective assigned to the Bridegan murder case, testified Tuesday.

FRIST MUGSHOT OF JARED BRIDEGAN'S EX-WIFE IN MICROSOFT EXEC'S MURDER CASE

Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez are codefendants in the murder for hire of Jared Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach on Feb. 16, 2022. It is alleged that they hired Henry Tenon to kill Bridegan, and he has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Bridegan death. ( © Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Prosecutors described the arrangement between Gardner, Saldana and Tenon as a "contract killing of Jared Bridegan," who shared two children with Gardner and two with his wife, Kirsten Bridegan. Saldana is facing the same charges as Gardner in connection to Bridegan's murder.

Bridegan was fatally shot in front of his car after coming across a tire in the middle of a secluded road on Feb. 16, 2022, which prosecutors believe was a setup, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. His then-2-and-a-half-year-old daughter was in the back seat at the time.

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A family portrait of Jared and Kirsten Bridegan.   (Infinite Focus Photography/Madeline Insignares)

When traffic eventually piled up behind Bridegan's vehicle after he was shot, good Samaritans went up to his vehicle and were able to remove the toddler from his vehicle, put her in a different vehicle and give her a blanket, Johns said. 

The two-year-old later described hearing a "boom boom" and said her "daddy was sick" after the shooting, the detective testified.

FLORIDA EX-WIFE OF SLAIN MICROSOFT EXECUTIVE HIRES CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER

Kirsten Bridegan attends a February 2024 hearing for Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez Saldano, who are charged in connection with her husband Jared Bridegan's February 2022 murder. ( © Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Johns questioned Gardner twice after the shooting and asked her if she had any theories regarding what may have happened to her ex-husband.  Gardner allegedly suggested it may have been a drug deal gone wrong or gang initiation, telling police she thought Sanctuary Blvd., where Bridegan was shot, is where people went to buy drugs in Jacksonville.

"I have never heard of that," Johns testified.

SLAIN MICROSOFT EXEC'S FAMILY FACES HIS EX, SUSPECTED OF ORCHESTRATING HIS MURDER, IN COURT

Mario Fernandez and his wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, smiling at a memorial for her slain ex-husband, Jared Bridegan, with whom she shares 10-year-old twins. Fernandez has been charged with Bridegan's murder and Gardner-Fernandez remains a suspect. (So Shelli)

The detective also described Gardner's and Saldana's alleged efforts to kill Bridegan as a multi-year process of coming up with scenarios and plans for Saldana to kill Bridegan. Saldana allegedly got within "arm's reach" of Bridegan multiple times but failed to carry out the murder, calling those instances "missed opportunities," Johns said.

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Henry Tenon booking photo, Jan.25, 2023; Jared and Kirsten Bridegan with their baby daughter. (Jacksonville Beach Police Department/Courtesy of Kirsten Bridegan)

The couple's alleged plans to kill Bridegan apparently came up when Gardner  "would be upset about some type of custody issue" with Bridegan and their two children, and "Mario’s solution was always to take care of Jared," Johns said, adding that "take care of" meant to "kill Jared Bridgen."

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Both Gardner and Fernandez-Saldana have pleaded not guilty in connection with Bridegan's murder. The pair are accused of hiring Fernandez-Saldana's former tenant, Henry Tenon, as a hit man. Tenon pleaded guilty to pulling the trigger and agreed to testify against the other suspects.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Jose Baez, the attorney representing Gardner, and Jesse Dreicer, the attorney representing Fernandez-Saldana. 

Editor's note: The story has been corrected to note the check was signed by Mario Fernandez, not Shanna Gardner, according to witness testimony.