I started these notes when Jared was killed - so I shall shorten this up a bit....
Thursday, January 26th:
*Initial Appearance Hearing (@ am 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. *Henry Arthur Tenon (61) arrested & charged (1/25/23) with charged with conspiracy to commit murder, 2nd degree murder with a weapon, accessory to the fact to a capital felony & child abuse.
Bridegan had just dropped off his older two children at their mother’s house in Jacksonville Beach when he stopped on a wooded stretch of Sanctuary Way (just off Jacksonville Drive) near J. Turner Butler Blvd. on his way home. Police believe he was trying to move a tire that was in the road. Detectives believe that tire may have been part of the setup for his slaying." “He was right at the driver’s door & we believe that the shooter was less than four feet, three feet from him,” Jacksonville Beach Police Det. Sgt. David Young said. “It was specific, Bridegan used this route all the time. Whoever [killed him] knew the route.” Neighbors’ surveillance cameras from the Sanctuary subdivision caught the sound of several gunshots just before 8pm. He stepped out of his black Volkswagen Atlas, an unknown assailant shot Bridegan in front of the terrified child & fled. Bexley remained in the car for three full minutes near her father’s lifeless body before a passerby stumbled on the gruesome scene & pulled her from the car, police said.
3/26/22 Update: Jacksonville Beach Police & federal agents with the ATF are working tirelessly to solve the case. Last week, they released video of a dark colored 2004 to 2008 Ford F-150 pickup truck. It has running boards, brown trim & a silver toolbox. Investigators said they are exploring all options, looking at potential motives & not ruling out anyone as a suspect.
6/14/22 Update: The ex-wife of Bridgean shot dead in front of his 2-year-old daughter has hired a criminal defense lawyer — as new details have emerged about the pair’s acrimonious split. The shocking murder remains unsolved & the Jacksonville Beach Police Dept. has not publicly named a suspect. But Shanna Gardner-Fernandez (35) & her husband, Mario Fernandez, are now represented by high-powered criminal defense attorney Henry Coxe III. Coxe, the former president of the Florida Bar, "specializes in serious federal & state criminal matters," according to his bio on the Bedell Firm website.
7/21/22 Update: Gardner-Fernandez & her husband Mario Fernandez hired high-powered criminal defense attorney Henry Coxe III. The couple remain suspects in the murder, a law-enforcement source said.
8/17/22 Update: Tuesday marks six months since a local father was gunned down in Jacksonville Beach. Jared was shot several times at close range as his 2 1/2-year-old-year-old daughter was in the backseat of his SUV around 8pm Feb. 16, 2022 near the Sanctuary neighborhood in south Jacksonville Beach. Sgt. Tonya Tator, with the Jacksonville Beach Police Dept, has confidence an arrest will be made. “There’s a good chance, a good, good chance,” Tator said during a sit-down interview with News4JAX. “Maybe not now, maybe not next week, but I feel confident that eventually, we will find the person or persons responsible for this.” Tator has been involved with the case since the night Jared was killed. Good Samaritans took his toddler daughter Bexley from the back seat, & she reunited with her mother at the police station. Tator was there with them. “You’re looking at someone that just found out their entire life was turned upside, down & there’s not anything you can do for them but be right there & assure them we will do everything in our power to find out who is responsible,” Tator said. Detectives suspect someone set up Jared, who had just dropped his two older children off at their mother’s home in Jacksonville Beach & was returning home to St. Johns County on the night of the deadly shooting. According to detectives, he driving along a dark stretch in between the Sanctuary neighborhood & J. Turner Butler Blvd when he stopped because of a tire in the road & as he stepped out, someone ambushed him & shot him multiple times. Detectives believe the tire was likely planted in the road. Tator said it looks like someone specifically set out to kill Jared. “That’s what evidence is leading us to believe,” she said. Investigators processed the tire, sent bullet casings to a ballistics lab & are looking for a 2004 to 2008 blue Ford F-150 pickup truck seen in the area around 8pm — when the shooting happened. “All I can say is there is a lot of forensic evidence we’re going through. I can’t get specific,” Tator said. “We’re looking at every piece of evidence.” Detectives are looking at all possibilities & haven’t publicly identified any suspects or people of interest. They aren’t ruling out anyone. Investigators are looking at his past history, the route he took & the fact he just dropped his two older children off at their mother’s house up the road. There’s now a $55,000 reward for information leading to an arrest & prosecution in the killing. First Coast Crime Stoppers is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Much of that money was raised privately by the Bridegan family. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, or ATF, is offering an additional $5,000 for information leading to an arrest & conviction.
1/25/23 Update: Jacksonville Beach Police say Henry Tenon has been arrested in connection with the murder of Bridegan. And say "we know Tenon did not act alone." Tenon is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, 2nd degree murder with a weapon, accessory to the fact to a capital felony & child abuse. Tenon's arrest warrant & affidavit will be sealed for the next 30 days because the investigation is ongoing. State attorney says they will present Tenon's case to a Grand Jury to seek an indictment for 1st degree murder. He will go before a judge tomorrow, 1/26/23 on murder charges. It has been learned that Tenon rented a house from Mario Fernandez, who is/was married to Shanna Gardner Fernandez, who is Bridegan's ex-wife. Tenon was already in jail awaiting trial for Aug. 18, 2022 charges of possession of a weapon by a felon & driving with a suspended or revoked license on a third or subsequent conviction. That arrest report stated he had a shotgun in the trunk during a traffic stop. Tenon has a sentencing date on 1/31/23 @ 9am for his weapons citation. His address is listed in the 8700 block of Old Kings Road in his most recent court documents. However, some people-finder online research tools list the 5200 block of Potomac Avenue. Property records show the ex-wife's husband owned the rental property from 2017 to October 2022.
