Suspect in Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan's murder convicted in roadside ambush

A Florida jury convicted Mario Fernandez Saldana of first-degree murder in the 2022 roadside ambush killing of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan. The verdict, delivered Wednesday, also found him guilty of solicitation to commit a capital felony. Bridegan, 33, was shot at close range in February 2022 in Jacksonville Beach after pulling over to move a tire left on a dark road. His 2-year-old daughter was in the back seat but was not injured. Prosecutors said the attack was a deliberate setup tied to a contentious custody dispute involving Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her husband, Fernandez Saldana. Prosecutors allege they hired Henry Tenon as the gunman. Saldana was arrested in March 2023, Gardner in August, and a judge ordered separate trials with different juries.