The Jacksonville hitman charged with murdering Microsoft manager Jared Bridegan cased a Nocatee gym where his young daughter took classes to learn his doomed target’s routine, prosecutors said in new court papers.
Henry Tenon, 64, pleaded guilty to shooting Bridegan dead in front of his then 2-year-old daughter in February 2022 in Jacksonville Beach.
Prosecutors allege that Tenon was tapped to kill the father of four by his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her new spouse Mario Fernandez.
Gardner and Bridegan — who had twins together — were locked in a bruising war over custody and money at the time of the murder.
In newly released court papers, prosecutors revealed that cell site data placed Tenon at a Nocatee gym where Bridegan and his new wife, Kirsten Bridegan, regularly took one of the twins to gymnastics class.
The chilling detail emerged in new court papers summarizing a January meeting held to address Tenon’s apparent reconsideration of his guilty plea in the case.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, the hitman previously admitted to killing Bridegan and agreed to testify against Fernandez, his former landlord.
But Tenon threw the case into temporary chaos in January after abruptly claiming to have given “false testimony.”
He met with his public defender, Alan Chipperfield, and several prosecutors Jan. 14 to discuss his misgivings.
Tenon was asked if someone was pressuring him to change his statement or if he was afraid of being labeled a snitch behind bars.
Tenon denied any external influence, saying he regretted pleading guilty because he would likely still get life in prison and had nothing to gain by cooperating.
But prosecutor Alan Mizrahi explained that he would potentially be shown mercy at sentencing, and faced anywhere from 15 years to life, rather than a mandatory life term.
The attorney reiterated the strength of the state’s case against him — including surveillance footage and cell data that showed him at the murder scene — and the Nocatee gym.
The killer was confused by the latter claim.
“Tenon appeared confused by the word ‘Nocatee’ and stated he had never been there,” court papers state. “Mizrahi clarified that Nocatee was in St. Johns County, and that both license plate reader and cell-site data placed Tenon there.”
Mizrahi added that Tenon’s DNA was on the tire that had been placed in the road to lure Bridegan out of his vehicle before he was gunned down.
Prosecutors reminded Tenon during the meeting that he had previously expressed remorse for the killing, and “cried when he spoke about the baby in Jared’s car.”
Tenon repeatedly denied being strong-armed to change his plea, countering that he was simply feeling a sense of “hopelessness” over his fate. He told prosecutors that he rarely interacts with other prisoners except to play chess. After the meeting, he was moved to the Nassau County Jail in Yulee.
He ultimately agreed not to rescind his guilty plea.
“Tenon said he was ‘sticking with [you]’ for trial,” according to court papers. “Tenon advised he would apologize to the judge for his ‘outburst.'”
Gardner, a former Mormon from a wealthy Utah family, and Fernandez, have both pleaded not guilty to the charges for which they face the death penalty if convicted.
Their attorneys, including prominent litigator Jose Baez, pounced on Tenon’s fleeting courtroom retraction, and demanded an immediate junking of his guilty plea.
They also argued in a previous motion that prosecutors were withholding vital discovery information from them, a charge the State Attorney’s Office has denied.
They have filed a flurry of motions requesting body-worn camera footage of Tenon’s arrest, the production of his recent jail calls and inmate mail and sanctions against prosecutors for allegedly playing hide-and-seek with critical evidence.
