Henry Tenon, who admitted to shooting and killing Microsoft manager Jared Bridegan in 2022 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, tried to recant his confession, according to a new court filing.
The reversal was revealed in a motion filed by the defense attorney for his co-defendant, Mario Fernandez.
Fernandez and his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, are accused of orchestrating the alleged murder-for-hire plot of Bridegan, Gardner’s former husband, and paying Tenon to pull the trigger.
Tenon took a plea deal and agreed to testify against the alleged masterminds.
Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, was ambushed in Jacksonville Beach Feb. 16, 2022 in a crime that made national headlines.
He had just dropped off his twins with Gardner at her Jacksonville Beach home when he was lured from his SUV by a tire left in the middle of the road.
The moment he stepped out of his car, he was shot dead in front of his 2-year-old daughter, Bexley, who was strapped in her car seat.
Fernandez and Gardner have been jailed since their 2023 arrest for Bridegan’s murder and face the death penalty if convicted. They have both pleaded not guilty.
Authorities believe Gardner had her ex-husband killed to end a bitter custody battle over their two children. Bridegan also has two daughters, Bexley and London, with his second wife, Kirsten Bridegan.
Tenon had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a sentence of 15 years to life. But he indicated in court that his testimony was inaccurate.
According to a transcript from a Jan. 13, 2025, hearing, Tenon informed Circuit Judge London Kite that his confession was “false testimony.”
Despite being urged to consult with his lawyer, Tenon persisted and requested a new attorney.
The judge temporarily halted the hearing to allow Tenon to speak with his lawyer privately. Tenon agreed, but he was never brought back into the courtroom that day, and his case was rescheduled to Jan. 22, 2025.
Kite’s judicial assistant emailed the parties Jan. 15 to push Tenon’s court date back further to April 14, 2025.
“Mr. Tenon will not appear or have any opportunity to address the Court for over three months since the time he informed the Court he provided ‘false testimony,'” Fernandez’s attorney, Jesse Dreicer, wrote in the motion.
Fernandez’s lawyer is now demanding that the state disclose what actions have been taken regarding Tenon’s alleged false testimony, particularly in light of his plea agreement.
The defense argued that if Tenon’s claims are true, his plea deal should be voided—or, at the very least, his statements must be fully investigated. Gardner’s attorney, Jose Baez, filed papers Wednesday adopting the motion.
On Friday, Gardner and Fernandez were in court for a hearing on the matter. Their lawyers questioned Tenon’s attorney, Alan Chipperfield, who said his client’s “false testimony” statement on Jan. 13 had stunned him.
“I suspected there may be an inmate in jail that was influencing Mr. Tenon and that the co-defendant could have gotten to him,” Chipperfield told the court, acknowledging he had no evidence this had occurred.
He said that he and Tenon met with state attorneys and resolved the matter, without disclosing the nature of their conversation to protect attorney-client privilege.
One Response
I hope SJCSO recorded and traced that tire by it’s serial #… All tires have an I.D. # and can be traced back to when it was made, who made it, and what store sold it, when… If that tire leads back to the defendants, or friends of them that are associated in any way, then there all in this a little deeper… It may be a bad move to change his plea at this time.