Slain Microsoft Executive's Ex-Wife Allegedly Wrote "Good Luck!" to Hitman on Check

Shanna Gardner, the former spouse of murdered Microsoft manager Jared Bridegan, penned a bizarre message on a check to the alleged hitman, Henry Tenon, who carried out Bridegan's assassination in 2022. Testimony from a witness during a Wednesday bond hearing revealed the chilling detail.

1. The Duval County courtroom was packed with witnesses on Wednesday as prosecutors sought to determine if Gardner, charged with first-degree murder and related offenses, should be granted bail in connection with Bridegan's death.

2. Gardner and her second husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, allegedly offered Tenon $150,000 to eliminate Bridegan. A check dated April 4, 2022, for $5,000 from Gardner and Saldana's LLC, First Choice Home Rentals, bore the inscription "Kickstarter" and "Good luck!"

3. According to Detective Chris Johns of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, Tenon stated that this was the initial payment in a series of investments into his pallet company but was actually compensation for the murder.

4. Prosecutors portrayed the arrangement between Gardner, Saldana, and Tenon as a "contract killing" of Bridegan, who had two children with Gardner and two with his wife, Kirsten Bridegan.

5. Saldana has been charged with the same offenses as Gardner in connection with Bridegan's murder.

6. On February 16, 2022, Bridegan was shot fatally in his car after encountering a tire in the middle of a secluded road, which prosecutors believe was a deliberate setup.

7. Bridegan's then-2-and-a-half-year-old daughter was present in the back seat of the vehicle during the shooting.

8. Good Samaritans who witnessed the aftermath of the shooting rushed to assist Bridegan and rescued his toddler, providing her with a blanket and alerting authorities.

9. The child recounted hearing a "boom boom" and stated that her "daddy was sick," according to Detective Johns' testimony.

10. Johns questioned Gardner multiple times about potential motives but Gardner reportedly suggested drug deals or gang initiation, disregarding Johns' assertion that the location of the shooting was not a known drug hotspot.

11. The investigation revealed that Gardner and Saldana had allegedly conspired for years to eliminate Bridegan, with Saldana reportedly having several opportunities to carry out the murder but failing due to "missed opportunities."

12. Gardner and Fernandez-Saldana have both pleaded not guilty, but Tenon has admitted to pulling the trigger and agreed to provide testimony against the other suspects.

13. Jose Baez, Gardner's attorney, and Jesse Dreicer, Fernandez-Saldana's attorney, have not yet commented on the latest developments in the case.