The man who recently recanted his statements about killing Jared Bridegan in what authorities have called a murder-for-hire has learned he won’t go to trial until 2027.
Henry Tenon, 65, previously pleaded guilty to being the triggerman in the 2022 murder in Jacksonville Beach but was granted his unexpected request to withdraw his plea earlier this year. Bridegan, 33, was on his way home to St. Augustine when he was ambushed and shot after dropping off his shared-custody twins to his ex-wife and her new husband, who are the other defendants getting separate trials.
Tenon is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Judge London Kite on Wednesday, June 17, agreed to schedule jury selection to begin next year on March 29. That would be well after Shanna Gardner and Mario Fernandez Saldana, who are accused of orchestrating the plot. Fernandez Saldana was Tenon’s landlord.
When Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler advised the judge of the proposed dates, Kite asked “why so far?” Stifler responded that her co-counsel has an overlapping capital case and defense attorney Julie Schlax had some conflicts as well. Schlax added that she has five death penalty cases.
Gardner and Fernandez Saldana are scheduled for their next hearing on July 9. Court records show jury selection for Fernandez is slated to begin Aug. 10 and then Gardner’s on Aug. 31.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Judge sets trial dates for Henry Tenon in Bridegan killing
Reporting by Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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By Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
