ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – One year ago, a St. Johns County father leaving the home of his ex-wife in Jacksonville Beach stopped on a dark stretch of road near the Sanctuary neighborhood to move a tire out of the road, according to investigators.
Jared Bridegan, 33, was then shot at close range several times while his toddler daughter was still strapped into her car seat in the back of his SUV. No arrests were made in connection with the ambush murder for nearly a year until investigators announced one in January.
Henry Tenon, 61, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony and felony child abuse.
Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, said between Valentine’s Day and knowing it’s now been a full year since Jared’s murder, this has been a tough week.
“Thankfully, there’s been progress in the case so that helps alleviate some of those emotions. But we’re never gonna have Jared back,” she said. “This is the first complete year we’ve had without him and there’s a lot more ahead of us without him. It’s just it’s really hard to process or even put into words how that feels.”
Long road ahead
A year later, a memorial still stands at the spot where Jared Bridegan’s life was taken -- a reminder as well that there is a more than $50,000 reward still offered for information leading to arrests in the case.
Kirsten Bridegan said when things have been tough for her over the last year, she remembers her husband’s joy.
“Jared was a funny guy, you know, so oftentimes when I’m feeling low or emotions are high, I’ll kind of hear him in the back of my head just like crack a joke or like try to lighten the mood like he did when he was here. And that honestly, helps me get through every day,” Kirsten said.
She said she knows there’s still a long road ahead, but she and the rest of Jared’s family are determined to see it through.
“We’re going to fight for Jared. We have since day one, and we will not stop until full justice has been served,” Kirsten said.
She and her family and supporters were there in court Monday when Tenon was arraigned on the charges in Jared’s murder.
“It was tough. You know, you see the person’s face, and you know that they’re probably someone that your loved one saw last. It’s not fair,” Kirsten said. “We had a lot of support there (in court), family and friends and neighbors, and we were there to say, ‘We’re not going anywhere. And we’re going to keep fighting until all of you are caught.’”
Conspiracy investigation
According to court documents, the conspiracy that led to the murder of Jared Bridegan began Jan. 4, 2022 -- just over a month before he was killed.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson said at a news conference in January: “We know Henry Tenon did not act alone.”
Kirsten said Thursday that the news of a conspiracy had only confirmed her suspicions.
“I’ve felt that way since early on, so it did not come as a surprise to me. And I’m just hoping that we’ll get those additional arrests in the near future,” she said. “I have my full faith in the investigation and the people that are working on it, and we’re gonna get there.”
The News4JAX I-TEAM uncovered records confirming that Tenon rented a house owned by Mario Fernandez, who is married to Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife. The home is in Northwest Jacksonville, about 25 miles from the scene of the Jacksonville Beach shooting.
There’s been a lot of public interest in Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and her second husband. She has proclaimed her innocence in interviews with other outlets.
According to sources, Gardner-Fernandez moved with her children across the country to Benton County, Washington, where her family has a home, and Fernandez remains in Florida.
Neither Gardner-Fernandez nor Fernandez have been charged with anything related to the case.
The next step for Tenon is a pre-trial hearing, although State Attorney Nelson has said she will present the case to a grand jury to seek a first-degree murder indictment.
Focusing on the positive
On Thursday, to mark one year since her father’s death, Jared’s daughter Bexley, now 3, donated one of her special boxes of items to the St. Augustine Police Department in his honor. The “Bexley Boxes” are designed to help children like her who find themselves at a police station or in the care of a law enforcement officer for an extended period.
Kirsten said she’s proud of her daughter’s desire to help other children.
“It’s a positive that we can focus on rather than letting the negative drag us down,” Kirsten said of creating the “Bexley Boxes.” “We’re gonna stay positive. We’re gonna show love to people and that’s how we’re gonna get through this.”