A jury found Mario Fernandez Saldana guilty Aug. 26 for his role in the 2022 murder-for-hire plot of Florida Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan.
More than four years after the Jacksonville Beach shooting, the 38-year-old now-estranged husband of Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, was found guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
Fernandez Saldana's trial began in Jacksonville on Monday, Aug. 17. He was accused of conspiring to kill Bridegan alongside Gardner and orchestrating the murder with another accomplice.
The remaining two defendants in the case are Gardner, 39, and Henry Tenon, the alleged gunman.
Here's what to know as the Florida murder-for-hire case continues on to the next trial.
Mario Fernandez Saldana reacts to verdict being read in court
What was Mario Fernandez Saldana found guilty of?
Fernandez Saldana, 38,
was found guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
When is Mario Fernandez Saldana's sentencing?
Fernandez Saldana has was not sentenced following the Wednesday, Aug. 26, guilty verdict, but the sentence for first-degree murder in Florida is a life sentence.
Judge London M. Kite set Fernandez Saldana's sentencing date and time for Oct. 5 at 9 a.m. ET.
Who else was arrested in connection to Jared Bridegan Jacksonville, Florida murder?
Three people were arrested in connection to the 2022 murder-for-hire of Jared Bridegan:
- Shanna Gardner, Bridegan's ex-wife and mother of his twin children
- Mario Fernandez Saldana, Gardner's estranged husband
- Henry Tenon, Fernandez Saldana's former tenant who initially pleaded guilty to being the shooter, then retracted his plea
When is Shanna Gardner's murder trial? Jared Bridegan's ex-wife stands trial next
The ex-wife and mother of Jared Bridegan's twin children, Shanna Gardner, 39, is next to stand trial in his 2022 murder in Jacksonville Beach.
Jury selection in Gardner's trial begins Aug. 31, 2026.
When is alleged gunman Henry Tenon's trial?
Fernandez Saldana's former tenant and the alleged gunman in the case, Henry Tenon, heads to trial next year, on March 29, 2027.
Where was Jared Bridegan fatally shot in Florida?
Bridegan was fatally shot on Feb. 16, 2022, on his way back to St. Augustine after dropping off his 9-year-old twin son and daughter at Gardner and Fernandez Saldana's home in Jacksonville Beach.
Not far from the home, someone in a truck belonging to Tenon placed a tire with Tenon's DNA on it in the middle of the isolated road on Sanctuary Boulevard. Bridegan stopped, put his hazard lights on and got out to move the tire when he was shot multiple times.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Mario Fernandez Saldana found guilty by Florida jury. What's next
