DUVAL COUNTY: Prosecutors remove death penalty against Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez
In late 2025, prosecutors took the death penalty off the table, with the support of Jared Bridegan’s widow and family.
Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez are charged with first-degree murder for killing Gardner’s ex-husband, Jared Bridegan, in 2022.
The State initially planned to try Gardner and Fernandez at the same time. However, the attorneys have “since agreed that they should face separate trials, with two separate jury selection periods.” News4JAX reports that “[j]ury selection for Fernandez will be from Aug. 10-14, with a pool of 250 potential jurors. His trial is then slated for Aug. 17-28.” And “Gardner’s jury selection will run from Aug. 31-Sept. 4 with a pool of 500 jurors. Her trial will then run from Sept. 8-25.”
The State sought the death penalty against both defendants and filed its Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty in late 2023.
In late 2024, Gardner filed motions to declare Florida’s capital sentencing statute unconstitutional and to bar a death sentence based on the State’s failure to allege elements that enhance the punishment. Similar motions were again filed in 2025.
In November 2025 (as reported by News4JAX), prosecutors took the death penalty off the table, with the support of Bridegan’s widow and family. On the day the State agreed to remove the death penalty, Bridegan’s widow posted on Instagram:
Today the State of Florida officially withdrew the death penalty. This is a decision we unanimously support and stand behind. As a family it is something we have considered and weighed for quite some time.
From the beginning, our greatest responsibility has been to advocate for Jared and for all four of his children. They have already endured unimaginable pain. Prolonging their suffering through years of appeals or forcing them to relive this trauma during an extended, grueling trial would only deepen their wounds.
Our decision to support the withdrawal of the death penalty is rooted entirely in our love for Jared’s oldest two children. It is not an act of mercy for those who took Jared’s life; it is an act of mercy for the children who must live with the consequences.
The people who murdered Jared showed no mercy, no compassion, and no regard for the lifelong pain their actions would inflict on his children. We are choosing a different path - one that honors Jared’s legacy and the man he was.
This choice does not diminish the gravity or the evil of what was done. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice for Jared and believe it will be seen in this life and the next. That belief brings us strength.
Thank you for standing with us and for supporting us as we continue this difficult journey. #justiceforjaredb #justiceforthekids #news
Bridegan’s widow has also filed a civil case against the defendants, which is stayed pending resolution of the criminal case.
As an avid opposition to the death penalty, I commend the family - and the prosecution - for the wisdom of this decision to withdraw the ultimate penalty, especially in a state which seems to have fallen into execution chaos. This painful process affects all of us and, as a now-retired capital defense attorney, I understand what the family has gone through. More decisions like this one would make sense in a criminal justice system that seems to have gone bonkers. God bless all of the people involved in this case. And, as an aside, Governor DeSantis, as a Catholic, you should know that it takes courage to admit that all human life is sacred. Stop this killing spree; it is not as simple as it looks.