Fernandez Wrote Two Words on a Check and Prosecutors Found Them

Before Mario Fernandez's murder trial begins in the Jared Bridegan case, his defense has already reshaped the field. The alleged triggerman withdrew his confession. A judge blocked testimony about a private conversation between Fernandez and his estranged wife. Prosecutors dropped two of four charges without explanation.

But the state kept the financial records. Fernandez's property company issued three checks to the man prosecutors say shot Bridegan, totaling roughly $10,000 after the killing. One was a $5,000 payment dated April 4, 2022, allegedly carrying the words "Kickstarter" and "Good luck!" on the memo line. The defense argues these covered legitimate property maintenance and that no money went to the alleged gunman before the crime occurred.

Phone records document 35 calls between Fernandez and the alleged shooter in February 2022, the month of the killing, with 30 more the following month. A prosecutor told the court in late July that a second individual left the scene in a pickup truck and has not been publicly identified. An inmate who spent nearly a year near Fernandez in the Duval County jail told the state that Fernandez spoke openly about the conspiracy, assigned roles to the participants, and allegedly proposed a plan to shift blame onto Jared's widow Kirsten after the inmate's release.

Prosecutors say they offered the inmate no deals on his own pending case. The defense contends the state's cooperating witness was coerced into his original confession and that jailhouse informants are inherently unreliable.

Fernandez denies all charges. Trial runs August 17 through 28 in Duval County. Gardner's trial is scheduled for the end of August. Tenon goes to trial in spring 2027.

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