JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Henry Tenon, implicated in the murder-for-hire case involving St. Augustine resident and father of four, Jared Bridegan, is seeking to prevent his prior guilty plea from being used against him in court. The motion references specific Florida statutes designed to protect statements made during plea discussions.

In 2023, Tenon accepted a plea deal for second-degree murder, which proposed a sentence ranging from 15 years to a potential life term. However, he later retracted this plea in February, opting to proceed to trial instead.

The recent motion, submitted on Thursday, emphasizes that “Florida law unequivocally provides that statements made during plea negotiations are inadmissible in any criminal proceeding.” It further explains that this law exists to “promote free and open plea negotiations without fear that a defendant’s statements will later be used against him at trial.”

The motion, filed on Thursday, states that “Florida law unequivocally provides that statements made during plea negotiations are inadmissible in any criminal proceeding”.

It goes on to say the purpose of the rule is to “promote free and open plea negotiations without fear that a defendant’s statements will later be used against him at trial”. 

His next court appearance is Monday, March 23.

Bridegan was shot and killed in Jacksonville Beach on Feb. 16, 2022, in what investigators say was an ambush killing tied to a “murder-for-hire” plot.