Newly released body-cam footage reveals the dramatic moment Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife was arrested in front of her two children for allegedly planning the Microsoft exec’s 2022 murder.
In footage obtained by Fox News, at least six officers are seen storming Shanna Gardner-Fernandez’s Washington state home just before 9 a.m on Aug. 17. The arrest came after Florida prosecutors say a grand jury indicted the 35-year-old on several charges for allegedly planning Bridegan’s murder with her new husband and enlisting the help of his handyman and tenant to carry out the crime.
Prosecutors say that Bridegan, who was married to Gardner-Fernandez for six years until 2015, was returning to his St. Augustine, Florida, home on Feb. 16, 2022, after dropping off his twins at his ex-wife’s house when he came upon a tire in the middle of the road. Leaving his 2-year-old daughter strapped in the backseat, Bridegan went to move the tire but was then shot “in cold blood.” The toddler was unharmed.
“Warrant! Police!” officers are heard saying in the body-cam footage while entering Gardner-Fernandez’s home. Outside, Gardner-Fernandez’s mother is seen sobbing on a chair on the front porch while officers are heard handcuffing her daughter inside.
“Can I be with the kids, or can you at least bring the kids out to me?” Shelli Garnder is heard asking about her 12-year-old twin grandchildren Gardner-Fernandez shared with Bridegan.
Gardner-Fernandez is then seen walking out of the home in pink pajama shorts and a graphic t-shirt as officers wait outside. At one point, someone is heard asking if she should get Gardner-Fernandez pants, while the mother-of-two is heard speaking to her daughter.
“Where are your jeans, mom?” one of Gardner-Fernandez’s kids is heard asking from inside the house. Another child interjects and answers, “I know where they are.”
After changing, Gardner-Fernandez is heard saying “I love you” to her children before the police escort her to a squad car. The footage shows West Richland officers taking Gardner-Fernandez to an interview room at a local police station. Eventually, she was moved to Benton County Jail, where she remained before being extradited to Jacksonville to face charges including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony, and child abuse.
State Attorney Mellisa Nelson said last week that Gardner-Fernandez and her husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, will be prosecuted together and that her office is seeking the death penalty for the couple. Prosecutors have yet to reveal a motive behind the murder plot, which came after a yearslong contentious divorce and child custody battle between Bridegan and Gardner-Fernandez.
After her arrest, Gardner-Fernandez’s parents released a statement urging “caution against further speculation and request privacy as the legal process runs its course.”
“We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time,” Shelli and Sterling Gardner said.
