Tuesday, June 25th:
*Pretrial Hearing for both (@ 9am ET) – FL –
Jared Galen Bridegan (33), father of 4 ambushed & killed (shot 4 times), his 2-year-old daughter was just feet away in the back seat, Jacksonville Beach, Feb. 16, 2022. –
*Shanna Lee Gardner-Fernandez (36/now 37) indicted & arrested (8/17/23 by ATF agents in West Richland, Wash.),
charged & arraigned (11/3/23) with 1st degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony & child abuse. DA will seek the DP. Held without bail on Fugitive warrant (in Benton County, WA). Was extradited on 10/20/23 to Florida. Plead not guilty. No bond. Judge
denies to set bond (5/24/24).
*Mario Enrique Fernandez Saldana (34/now 36) arrested (in Kissimmee, Orange County, 3/22/23) &
charged & indicted (3/16/23) & arraigned (4/4/23) with 1st degree murder with a weapon, conspiracy to commit 1st degree murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony & child abuse. In Orange County jail waiting for transfer to Jacksonville in Duval County. Transferred to Duval County on 3/22/23. Held without bond. Plead not guilty. DA will seek the DP.
Trial was set to begin on 4/13/24 for both was cancelled with no further dates.
Judge London M. Kite. State attorney Christina Simak Stiller. Gardener defense attorneys Jose Angel Baez, lead counsel & Patrick K. Korody. Saldana defense attorneys Frank John Tassone, Jr., Jesse Driecer & James Hill.
Case & court info from 3/16/23 thru 5/14/24 reference post #529 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-feb-2022-3-arrests-1-guilty-2.689030/page-27
5/24/24 Update: Gardner: Duval County Judge London Kite denied her motion to set bond Friday, ordering that Gardner stay in jail until her trial & Judge also said Gardner was a flight risk, exemplified by the fact that she moved to Washington after Bridegan's murder & no longer has property in Jacksonville. In the order, she talked about how Gardner moved without her children for months because of social media messages regarding her involvement in Bridegan's death. Judge also explained ways Gardner could have benefited from Bridegan's death, including the fact that she could not receive her trust fund unless she had "no further legal entanglements with her ex-husband. Finally, Kite noted that Gardner has contacted witnesses in the past & may interfere with the judicial process if she was let out. Present: Asst. State attorney Christina Simak Stifler, Gardner’s defense attorney Jose Baez. Both defendants present in jail. Others present: Alan Mizrahi (ASA) & Patrick Korody & Rosemarie Peoples for Gardner’s defense & Fernandez's attorneys Frank Tassone & Shannon Day. Case management hearing held in full. Court Order-Granting State's motion for pretrial detention & denying defendant's motion to set bond. Both: Next pretrial hearing on 5/31/24 @ 9am, [See article on post #514, page 26, thread #2].
5/31/24 Update: Judge London M. Kite presiding. Asst. Present: State attorney Christina Simak Stifler. Attorney for Gardner Jose Baez, attorney for Saldana Jesse N. Dreicer, both defendants present in jail. Others present: Alan Mizrahi & Charles Wingard (ASA) & Patrick Korody & Rosemarie Peoples for Gardner's defense & James HIll for Saldana's defense. This morning, prosecutors told Judge London M. Kite that they have uncovered new evidence in the form of jail calls & digital evidence found by the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement’s cyber team. They said the evidence should be filed by Tuesday next week. Prosecutor Christina Scheffler told Judge London Kite that an FDLE agent is willing to do a taint review of Gardner & Fernandez’s devices & of jail calls from Washington State, where Gardner was first arrested. Depositions are currently scheduled for June 20 & 21. The next pretrial hearing for both on 6/25/24.
6/12/24 Update: A new motion filed by their attorneys said Gardner & Fernandez are invoking spousal privilege & asked Judge Kite to appoint a special master or taint team to review their communications to determine which are confidential under state law & thus excluded as evidence. In May, Judge London Kite threw out contested communications that the State Attorney’s Office intercepted through a search warrant. Kite ruled that the SAO inadvertently reviewed some communications protected under attorney-client privilege. Kite said she would be very involved in ongoing case management of the discovery material “to make sure there will be no further errors in exposing attorney/client privilege.”
6/12/24 Docket update: Saldana: Notice of taking deposition. 6/20/24: Notice of confidential information within Court filing. State's first Supplemental Discovery exhibit.
5/31/24 Docket update: Gardner: Lists of attorneys for "new Taint review". 6/7/24: Defendant's Motion for a Protective Order. 6/13/24: Notice of taking depositions. 6/18/24: Notice of unavailability [Jose Baez from 6/27-7/13/24 & 8/5-13/24]. 6/20/24: Notice of confidential information within Court filing. State's first Supplemental Discovery exhibit. 6/21/24: Notice of invocation of constitutional rights. Defendant's Third Disclosure to Prosecution. Defendant's Motion to release defendant on bond, to prohibit the State from using certain evidence at trial, based on State's failure to disclose favorable evidence & for other relief.
*Henry Arthur Tenon (61/now 62) – Plead guilty (3/17/23) to 2nd degree murder & will testify against Saldana & Gardner. Status hearing on 9/3/24.
www.firstcoastnews.com
