Man convicted in murder-for-hire killing of Microsoft manager on Florida road

A man accused of arranging the fatal shooting of a Microsoft design manager on a Florida road was convicted Wednesday in a murder-for-hire scheme that followed years of a stormy child custody arrangement between the victim and his wealthy ex-wife.

Jared Bridegan was shot in 2022 after he got out of his SUV to remove a tire from a road in Jacksonville Beach. The attack stumped police for months as they struggled to understand why someone with no apparent enemies would be killed while his daughter sat nearby in her car seat.

Prosecutors believe he was killed because of ongoing strife with his former wife, Shanna Gardner, over the parenting of their twins.

Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder. He’s married to Gardner, 39, whose trial is set to start in September.

“They wanted a majority of the decision making. They wanted more custody, even 60-40," Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler said during closing arguments Tuesday in Duval County court.

“It doesn’t matter if they were completely right about the situation or completely wrong. What matters is how they fixed it,” Stifler said. “They fixed it by executing a man when they had other alternatives available to them. That’s why we’re here.”

Prosecutors said Fernandez Saldana hired Henry Tenon to carry out the fatal ambush. He had no personal connection to Bridegan, but was a former tenant at Fernandez Saldana’s rental property in Jacksonville. The prosecutor described him as “basically homeless, squatting on people’s couches with overdrawn bank accounts.”

Jurors saw three checks totaling $10,000 written to Tenon after the homicide, marked as payments by Fernandez Saldana for handyman work and a business idea — “good luck!!”

Tenon’s DNA was identified on the rim of the tire that was intentionally placed in the road, police said.

He initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Fernandez Saldana but backed out and will stand trial in 2027.

Defense attorney Jesse Dreicer told jurors that Fernandez Saldana had no motive to have Bridegan killed. Fernandez Saldana and Gardner are estranged, and Gardner moved to Washington state after the killing. She was arrested in 2023.

“He certainly gained no benefit from the death of Jared Bridegan,” Dreicer said, noting there was no testimony that Fernandez Saldana told anyone that Bridegan “deserves to die.”

Gardner is the daughter of the co-founder of Stampin’ Up!, an arts-and-crafts company based in Utah.

Bridegan was shot twice when he stopped his Volkswagen Atlas to move the tire out of the way. He had just returned two children to Gardner's home after a meal with the twins. At the time of his death, he was married to Kirsten Bridegan and they had two children.

Kirsten Bridegan told the jury that the post-divorce relationship between her husband and Gardner was “pretty terrible,” adding there was “absolutely no trust.” She said it interfered with the kids' medical appointments and even routine meetings at school.

Bridegan was chief technology officer at Utah-based Clean Simple Eats before working at Microsoft for less than a year before his death, his wife said.

Kirsten Bridegan reacts on the witness stand in the trial of Mario Fernandez Saldana at the Duval County Courthouse, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Corey Perrine/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)

Defense Attorney Jesse Dreicer gaves the closing arguments for the defense in the the Mario Fernandez Saldana trial Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 at the Duval Count Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)

Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler presents her closing arguments during the Mario Fernandez Saldana trial, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 at the Duval Count Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)

Defense Attorney James Hill, left walks in his client, defendant Mario Fernandez Saldana, during his trial on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 at the Duval Count Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday refused to order Texas to extradite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Christian Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Minnesota authorities have sought his extradition since his arrest, but he remains in custody in Brownsville, Texas, a city bordering Mexico.

Under Texas law and barring extradition, Castro must be released after 90 days of detention, which is Thursday.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a request for a temporary restraining order last week, asking a federal judge to prevent the sheriff in Cameron County, Texas, from releasing Castro, and to order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign his extradition warrant.

Minnesota officials believe Castro could flee the country, citing calls he made from jail to a woman in Mexico, talking “about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico when he is released,” according to the lawsuit.

Castro is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg with a bullet that lodged in a child’s bedroom wall. Prosecutors say Castro then falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

Abbott has said he would not respond to the extradition request, citing an ongoing investigation into fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged with shooting and wounding a man during the crackdown in Minneapolis then lying about it, could walk free from a Texas jail if a federal judge does not intervene Wednesday.

Christian Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Minnesota authorities have sought Castro’s extradition since his arrest, but he remains in custody in Brownsville, Texas, a city bordering Mexico.

Under Texas law, Castro must be released after 90 days of detention, which is Thursday.

Minnesota's lawsuit asks U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. to order Castro's extradition and prevent the Cameron County sheriff from releasing him. The judge said Tuesday he was not inclined to stop the sheriff from releasing Castro, but that he would respond to the temporary restraining order on Wednesday.

Texas filed a motion late Tuesday asking for Minnesota's case to be dismissed.

Castro is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, shooting Sosa-Celis in the leg. Prosecutors say Castro also falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

At a federal hearing in Brownsville on Tuesday, attorneys with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office argued it would be hard to compel Castro to face charges in their state if he is released, and they fear Castro may flee the country, citing his phone conversations with a woman who lives in Mexico.

Attorneys representing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said he had not decided whether to deny or grant Minnesota’s extradition request and therefore the lawsuit was premature.

“I think ripeness is a significant issue,” Rodriguez told attorneys.

Abbott ordered an internal state investigation to determine if Castro can be legally considered a “fugitive.” Trevor W. Ezell, Abbott’s general counsel, also questioned whether the court could impose a deadline for the governor to respond to an extradition request.

“There’s nothing legally left for them to investigate,” Kimberly Ann Svendsen, an attorney representing the Minnesota attorney general, told the judge.

Abbott said last week he would not respond to the extradition request, citing the ongoing investigation into fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which President Donald Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.

FILE - Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty holds up a document containing charges against ICE agent Christian Castro during a news conference at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, on Monday, May 18, 2026. (Renée Jones Schneider/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP,File)

FILE - A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)