Shanna Gardner’s Own Texts Really Said WHAT?!

Jared Bridegan’s killer is going to prison. His wife’s trial just got more complicated than anyone expected. 
Mario Fernandez was convicted of first-degree murder and solicitation for shooting Bridegan in a Jacksonville Beach street in 2021, staged to look like a carjacking. Jurors took less than four hours. He’s facing life without parole. Then, one day after that verdict, prosecutors filed two brand-new felony charges against Fernandez — both involving children, unrelated to Bridegan’s murder, one tied to a girl who was around eight when the alleged conduct began. 
Shanna Gardner’s own trial was supposed to start days later. Instead, Judge London Kite granted a continuance to May 2027 so her defense can investigate whether the new charges reveal a motive of Fernandez’s own — separate from, or tangled up with, hers. Fernandez had already told police the twins were “better off” with Bridegan “out of the picture,” a comment that predates the new charges by years. 
None of that changes what prosecutors already have waiting for Gardner’s jury: her own text messages, read by prosecutors as evidence of intent rather than frustration. A friend, Kim Jensen, texted someone about finding Gardner “a guy” who “performs permanent disappearing acts on certain people.” A detective testified the plot goes back to 2015. Gardner still faces murder, conspiracy, solicitation, and a fourth charge connected to her twins. 
Her attorney, Jose Baez, already has Casey Anthony’s acquittal on his résumé, and he’s accusing the state of mischaracterizing evidence before a single juror is seated. The jury pool has been doubled to 500. May 2027 is a long way off, and the story keeps changing before it gets there. 
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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. 
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