Newly released bodycam footage presents the police interaction with Mario Fernandez, linked to the murder of Bridegan, alongside the crime scene.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Wednesday, fresh bodycam footage surfaced related to the prominent Jared Bridegan murder case. It captures police engaging with Mario Fernandez, implicated alongside two others in Bridegan’s death, and highlights the murder site.
The violent event involving the St. Augustine father of four occurred on February 16, 2022, labeled by police as a “murder-for-hire plot.” Allegedly masterminded by Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her subsequent husband, Mario Fernandez, both maintain their innocence regarding the charges against them.
Henry Tenon, who has also been charged in connection to the murder, has consented to provide testimony against Gardner and Fernandez. Tenon confessed to committing second-degree murder, admitting his role as the shooter in the fatal attack. Gardner and Fernandez are accused of compensating Tenon $150,000 to execute Bridegan.
In one segment of the bodycam footage, officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office initiate contact at a traffic stop involving Fernandez. As one officer arrives, they partner up with another officer already present to approach Fernandez in his car.
One officer is seen pulling the door handle on Fernandez’s vehicle, as Fernandez then exits.
“What’s going on, man?” one officer asked Fernandez.
“Huh?” Fernandez replied.
“Hey, do you have any weapons on you?” the officer asked.
“No,” Fernandez responded.
The officers proceed to conduct a pat-down of Fernandez, subsequently placing him in the back of a patrol car, followed by a brief search of his vehicle using a flashlight.
Afterward, one officer said to Fernandez, “Hey boss, go ahead and kick your feet in, someone’s gonna come talk to you in a second.”
In another bodycam video, an officer is seen having a conversation with a group of individuals not identified; the audio on this portion of the video is muted.
Afterward, two officers approach the patrol vehicle Fernandez was put in and ask him to step out.
“You’re free to go,” one officer said to Fernandez.
“Sweet,” Fernandez responded while returning back to his vehicle.
In a third bodycam video showing the scene of Bridegan’s murder, footage starts with an officer walking down a dark street towards flashing vehicle lights and Bridegan, who was lying on bloody pavement and covered with a sheet.
As the officer moves closer to Bridegan and the vehicle, a tire is seen in the middle of the street along with several shell casings.
After getting a look at evidence on scene, the officer is seen walking back down the street towards flashing police lights.
Police and prosecutors say Bridegan was shot and killed shortly after dropping off his twins, with whom Gardner shared custody of, and that Bridegan’s 2-year-old daughter Bexley was in the car with him when he was killed.
Trial to start next year
Gardner and Fernandez’s trial is scheduled to start Aug. 3, 2026. It was originally set to begin Oct. 20, but during a pre-trial hearing in July, Judge London Kite agreed with requests to move the trial date. Attorneys said jury selection would begin Aug. 3 and could last a week.
The trial, which is a death penalty case, is expected to last more than six weeks. Kite said it could last through Sept. 18, 2026, including the penalty phase if a guilty verdict is returned.
Gardner and Fernandez will have separate juries, and Kite noted that as many as 500 potential jurors, 250 per defendant, could be brought in due to the level of public interest in the case. The judge also acknowledged the extensive amount of time a jury would have to be available for the length of the trial.
Gardner and Fernandez are both charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse.
Editor’s note: Two of the three bodycam videos referenced in this story are below. First Coast News is not including the third bodycam video of the murder scene due to graphic content.
