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Suspect Charged Months After Man Killed In Front Of Daughter In 'Targeted And Planned Attack'
Jared Bridegan was gunned down after stopping his vehicle for a tire that was "purposely placed" in the middle of the road, according to police. State officials say Henry Tenon, the man now charged with his murder, didn't act alone.
A man has been charged for the “targeted” slaying of a Microsoft executive killed in front of his 2-year-old daughter nearly a year ago in northeastern Florida.
Jared Bridegan, 33, was shot to death near his SUV in the Lake Sanctuary neighborhood of Jacksonville Beach on Feb. 16, 2022. On Wednesday, Jacksonville Police and the Fourth Circuit State Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of 61-year-old Henry Tenon.
Jail records show Tenon is charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, and child abuse. Jacksonville Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said during a press conference that all charges were “directly related to the murder of Jared.”
Officials did not release a possible motive, citing a court order sealing the probable cause affidavit for 30 days. However, officials say more arrests may come.
“We know that Henry Tenon did not act alone,” said State Attorney Melissa Nelson.
On the evening of Feb. 16, father-of-four Jared Bridegan had just dropped his 9-year-old twins with their mother — identified by Jacksonville’s WJXT as Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez — after having dinner with the twins and his 2-year-old daughter, whom he shared with wife Kirsten Bridegan.
Police Chief Smith said Bridegan was driving back home when stopping in a “dark area” of Sanctuary Blvd. after finding a tire in the middle of the one-way road, according to the CBS affiliate WJAX-TV.
Smith said the tire was “purposely placed.”
After exiting the SUV shortly after 8 p.m. — presumably to move the tire — Bridegan was “gunned down in cold blood” near the driver’s side door, Smith told reporters. The toddler “remained strapped in the car seat” and was physically uninjured, despite bullets hitting Bridegan’s vehicle.
State Attorney Nelson said the child was “directly in harm’s way” in what Chief Smith called a “planned and targeted attack.”
The vehicle’s hazard lights were still on when authorities arrived at the scene, according to the Florida Times-Union.
Smith noted that nothing was stolen, ruling out a motive for robbery.
“For almost a year, we have investigated this case,” Smith said at the press conference. “Seeking the many questions surrounding Jared’s murder, and most importantly, to answer the question, ‘Who killed Jared?’”
Jail records show Tenon was arrested in August on separate charges, including possession of a weapon as a convicted felon, driving on a suspended license, and speeding. According to an arrest report reviewed by the Times-Union, Tenon was found with a shotgun in his trunk during a traffic stop, which landed him in jail, where he remained when charged with Bridegan’s murder.
Chief Smith thanked tipsters who came forward, namely with information about a dark-colored Ford F-150 believed to be in the area at the time of the murder, as shown in surveillance footage released by police.
“The last thing I will ask is for this community to continue its vigilance as we move forward with this case,” Smith said at the conclusion of the press conference.
Tenon made his first appearance before a judge at the Duval County Courthouse Thursday morning, where he was ordered held without bond, according to Fox News.
Anyone with information about Henry Tenon is asked to contact Jacksonville Police or the State Attorney’s Office.
