JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Court TV) — The man accused of funding a murder-for-hire that killed a Microsoft executive in front of his young daughter will remain behind bars until his trial this summer, a Florida judge has ruled.
Mario Fernandez Saldana appears in court on Dec. 1, 2023. (Court TV)
Mario Fernandez Saldana is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation and child abuse in the death of Jared Bridegan, a computer executive who was gunned down in Jacksonville Beach in 2022. At the time of his death, Bridegan shared custody of his two older children with his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, who is married to Fernandez Saldana. Gardner is facing the same charges as her husband.
Prosecutors say Gardner and Fernandez Saldana paid a tenant living at a property they own, Henry Tenon, to murder Bridegan. Tenon initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the couple, but withdrew his plea last month; he will now face his own trial and will not cooperate with prosecutors…