An unexpected development is unfolding in the 2022 murder-for-hire case of local father of four Jared Bridegan.
Bridegan was shot and killed in an ambush-style attack in Jacksonville Beach. Investigators say the killing was part of a murder-for-hire plot. His ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, are charged with orchestrating the killing.
The admitted gunman, Henry Tenon, had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Under that plea agreement, Tenon agreed to testify against Gardner and Fernandez Saldana in exchange for dropped charges and a sentencing range starting at 15 years to life in prison, avoiding the possibility of the death penalty…