The arrest of Mario Fernandez Saldana, 34, in the murder case of Jared Bridegan was announced on Thursday by Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith and State Attorney Melissa Nelson.
He was detained in Kissimmee early on Thursday and is currently being held in the Orange County Prison.
Nelson declared that the crime was a criminal offense that was either mandatory life in prison or the death penalty.
Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, who was Bridegan’s ex-wife, is married to Fernandez. He faces charges of child abuse, solicitation to conduct a capital offense, first-degree murder with a weapon, and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Henry Tenon, 61, was identified as the shooter by the state attorney’s office. He was detained last month and is now facing charges of accessory after the fact to a capital offense, felony child abuse, second-degree murder with a weapon, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Bank records revealed three handwritten checks that Fernandez wrote to Tenon, according to the arrest warrant. Also, it says, “According to phone records, Tenon and Fernandez spoke on the phone 35 times in February, 30 times in March, and 5–9 times in May and June of 2022.”