The Check Fernandez Wrote One Month After Jared Bridegan Was Shot

Jared Bridegan was killed on February 16, 2022, and four years later the first of three trials is about to start. Mario Fernandez, the estranged husband of Bridegan's ex-wife Shanna Gardner, faces first-degree murder and solicitation charges. His defense attorneys have chipped away at the state's case for years — and they've had real success. But one piece of evidence has resisted every legal maneuver.

Fernandez's company wrote three checks to the man prosecutors say pulled the trigger. The total came to $10,000 after the murder. The last check was dated April 4, 2022 — a $5,000 payment that allegedly had "Kickstarter" and "Good luck!" written in the memo field. Fernandez's lawyers say the payments covered maintenance work on a rental property and note that nothing was paid before the killing happened.

The alleged triggerman Henry Tenon recanted his confession and withdrew his guilty plea. A judge ruled that testimony about a private conversation between Fernandez and Gardner is protected by marital privilege. Two charges were quietly dropped before jury selection. The death penalty was taken off the table in late 2025 with the Bridegan family's support.

Prosecutors still hold phone records showing dozens of calls between Fernandez and Tenon in the weeks around the killing. A late-July hearing revealed that a second person was at the scene driving a pickup truck. And an inmate alleges Fernandez described the conspiracy from inside the jail, identified his role, and asked for help framing Kirsten Bridegan through letters to reporters and investigators.

Fernandez has entered a not-guilty plea to all remaining charges. Trial begins August 17 in Duval County. Gardner's trial is next. Tenon faces trial in March 2027.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

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