True Crime with Kendall Rae - She Planned an Ambush Attack on Her Ex-Husband: The Murder of Jared Bridegan

Episode Date: October 3, 2023

Before his death, Jared Bridegan was regarded as a loving father, husband, and devoted member of the LDS church. He worked a career in User Experience Design and was most well-known for his role at Microsoft. Jared had two children from his first marriage to Shanna Gardner, and following their divorce, he met the true love of his life, Kirsten, and together they had another two children. But in February of 2022, everything changed when Jared was shot to death in an ambush-style attack just a few miles down the road from his ex-wife's house. Since then, three people have been arrested as part of the conspiracy to murder 33-year-old Jared Galen Bridegan. Support Bexley Boxes: https://givebutter.com/bexleybox Support the Bridegan Foundation: https://www.brideganfoundation.org/ Donate to NCMEC through my campaign! https://give.missingkids.org/campaign/kendall-rae/c438796 This episode is sponsored by: ZocDoc Check out Kendall's other podcasts: The Sesh & Mile Higher Follow Kendall! YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook Mile Higher Zoo REQUESTS: General case suggestion form: https://bit.ly/32kwPly Form for people directly related/ close to the victim: https://bit.ly/3KqMZLj Discord: https://discord.com/invite/an4stY9BCN CONTACT: For Business Inquiries - [e-mail]

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including issuing company Hartford Fire Insurance Company. Its headquarters isn't Hartford, Connecticut. Hello everyone and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Ray. I'm so happy to have you here with me today to discuss yet another case. And if you are new, then welcome. Be sure to hit subscribe. So today we're going to be talking about another case that is ongoing. So I'm going to be telling you everything that we know as of now.

But this will be developing in the upcoming months. This case has been heavily requested. And there were quite a few requests in my members only form for this one as well. Which if you didn't know, I recently relaunched membership and I now have a private request form for members, which makes it a little easier to request a topic because my general case suggestion form currently has 90,000 submissions. So as you can imagine, it's just going to take me a long time to get through that. So if there's a case that you really want to see me cover, I would

recommend joining my membership and submitting it there. There's a much greater chance that I will be able to cover it. And I want to say thank you to all of you who have become members recently. Your support means so much to me and my team. And as a reminder, you do get my uploads completely ad free and 24 hours in advance as a member. Also, 10% of your membership is donated to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children every month. So big thank you to all of my members. Today, we're talking about the murder of Jared Bride again, which occurred in February of 2022. And over the last little over a year and a half at this point, there have been three arrests made in the case three. And the

most recent of which occurred in August. So very recently. But before I explain all of that, let's talk about Jared and who he was. Jared Galen Bridegan was born on June 28, 1988, and Warren's Berg Masuri to his parents Galort and Joanne. He had one sister named Ashley and two brothers named Justin and Adam. And although they were born in Missouri, their family ended up moving to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, which is where Jared spent the majority of his life. In 2007, Jared graduated from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, and then went on to attend Utah Valley University, where he received his bachelor's degree

in digital media with an emphasis in cinema production. From what I can tell, Jared seemed to be a pretty driven person from a very young age, and that landed him some pretty cool jobs in a career in user experience design. He worked as a senior designer, a director of experience design, and a chief technology officer for a handful of companies, and lastly, as a senior design manager for Microsoft. Jared was also a member of the Mormon Church, and was deeply devoted to his family. In 2009, while he was living in Jacksonville, Florida, he ended up meeting his future wife, Shanna Gardner. Now Shanna was born and raised in Utah and was also a member of the LDS church. She was actually in Jacksonville visiting a friend when they met and from everything I've read online

it seemed like she tried really hard to pursue him and her efforts worked because in 2010 they got married in a temple in Utah. They spent the early parts of their marriage living in a beautiful home in Highland, Utah, and eventually, they got pregnant with twins, Liam and Abby. But it doesn't seem like either of them were working at this time, and I'm sure you're wondering how they supported themselves and two children and lived a very nice lifestyle without working. Well, it turns out that Shanna's parents, Shelley and Sterling were millionaires, and they were giving them a monthly allowance of $8,500 bucks. And on top of the $8,500 allowance, they were both

given access to credit cards. They got a $100,000 business loan, and they both drove Mercedes. Now, I'm not 100% certain if Shanna's parents bought them their cars, but I'd imagine it's not out of the realm of possibility. Shanna's parents became wealthy through their business, which is called Stampin' Up, which apparently isn't Arts and Crafts Company based out of Utah and personally,

I had never heard of it, but this business was very successful much more than I would have expected for an arts and craft company, but the reports online say that their revenue exceeds over $100 million a year, which would definitely make sense as to how they were able to support their daughter and her family. So like I said, they spent the first parts of their marriage living in Utah, and eventually they had to move because their son sadly had a heart condition that made living at high elevation very difficult and dangerous for him. So they needed to move somewhere at sea level. So they made the decision to move to Connecticut shortly after the twins were born.

And from everything that I've read, it seems like once they made this move to Connecticut, the cracks in their relationship really started to show. And Shanna became increasingly upset with Jared for several reasons, one of those reasons being that he was gaining weight. She also felt like he was just spending too much time starting a business. And it didn't help that the two of them eventually started to feel differently about their religion.

Obviously, when Faith is a big part of your relationship, and then one of the people in the relationship starts to have doubts or different feelings, it can make things very difficult. And it was actually Shanna that started to lose interest in the Mormon church, even though she had grown up in it. And so this made them drift apart. And even though things weren't great between them, they were still trying to make it work. And at one point, Jared was able

to convince Shana that they should all move to Jacksonville Beach, where he used to live. And I imagine this was some sort of fresh start for them in his mind. And it's been reported that when they made the move to Jacksonville Beach, that Jared was currently pursuing his master's degree at this Evanna College of Art and Design. And I'm guessing that must have been through online classes. And if this move was meant to be a fresh start for them, things seem to only get worse in their relationship from this point moving forward. So a few years ago, I was on the hunt for a new doctor and I didn't know where to look.

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In 2014, Christmas time, Jared buys Shana a package of personal training lessons, and he became suspicious after reading some emails of hers that maybe she was having an affair with her trainer. He confronts her and she says that she wasn't having an affair but she did want to end the relationship because she just didn't love him anymore so she files for divorce on February 23rd, 2015. So their marriage came to an end, but their fighting and disagreements definitely did not. And they ended up fighting over Alamone, custody, and their property for the next five years. And over those five years,

things became incredibly toxic. And both Jared and Shana accused each other of some pretty serious things. In May of 2015, Jared Akishana of spying on him by placing hidden baby monitors around the house and invading his privacy. He also claimed that she installed a tracking device in his car as well as a voice activated recording device inside the home. And this is another one of those cases

where the two of them were still living together during divorce proceedings. I don't know if that was because of financial reasons or because they wanted it to be a more stable transition for the children. Either way, though, this was very toxic for them. And Jared said that Shana had put a lock on their master bedroom door, even though he was still living there as well. He claimed that she wouldn't give him a key. And lastly, he accused her of lying about some important financial records about her income, which, if true, could be really bad.

And Shanna accused Jared of some pretty terrible things as well. She claimed that he was threatening to take money from the children's trust funds and use it for his own personal benefit, and that he was also acting in an abusive and disturbing way towards the children. And not only that, she also accused him of actively coaching their children on what to say about her, and recording their statements, and then using those recorded statements against her during the divorce proceedings. And I'm pretty confident that this only scratches the surface of what was

being said back and forth, because sources say that their divorce file had nearly 300 entries and motions, and is over 800 pages long. When it comes to custody, they did end up coming to a civil agreement for the sake of the kids, and they had a 50-50 split. They also agreed on a Wednesday date night. So whichever parent didn't have the kids that week would come over, pick up the kids, and then take them out on a little date night before dropping them back off at the end of the night. And I'm guessing this was to establish some type of normal C for the kids, which I think is really cool. I know people who had this same setup when they were kids and dealing with divorce. And I do admire that. However, things were definitely not sunshine and rainbows

between these two by any means. In 2021, there was actually a pretty big dispute where Shanna accused Jared of refusing to give her their son's breathing machine for an upcoming trip that she was taking with the kids. Of course, she did have a machine of her own, but she said the one that Jared had was a lot smaller and easier to transport, so she wanted to take that one instead. This whole situation was actually brought in front of a judge and Jared ended up having to hand over the machine and also pay Shana $571.

But eventually, the two of them did end up moving on and both found love. In 2018, Shana was still doing CrossFit and she ended up meeting a maintenance worker named Mario Fernandez-Saldana. And the two of them must have really hit it off because they got married that same year. Shanna said that Mario became a big part of the twins' lives and integrated well into their family. Mario would eventually go on to manage rental properties, and that'll be important later on.

So try to remember that. As for Jared, he also moved on and found the love of his life. In early 2017, Jared met Kiersten on a dating app and the two of them quickly found love and got married as well. They lived together in St. Augustine, Florida, where they had two beautiful daughters, one in 2019 and the other in 2021. And so it seemed like Jared was finally getting his happily ever after. Even though he was still having issues with his ex-wife, he was now married to an incredible woman who he loved and who loved him. And from just looking at the photos

and videos of their new blended family, you can really see how incredible of a father Jared really was. Kirsten says that spending time with his children was one of Jared's biggest passions in life. He would build them playhouses in the yard, and if he wasn't building something for the kids, then he was working on home improvement projects. He just loved being a family man. And Kirsten describes him as funny, happy-go-lucky, and even a little shy sometimes. And in this new stage of his life, he was still a devoted member of the LDS Church, and he even spent his Sundays as a Sunday school teacher for 11 and 12 year olds and really treasured his relationship with the church. Overall, it seems Jared was described as a really

wonderful person, and that makes what happened to him even more devastating. So that brings us to February 16th, 2022. Jared was driving his two year old daughter and his nine year old twins back to Ponte Vedra Beach where Shana lived to drop the twins off after a date night. So he says goodbye to the twins, drops them off with Shana, and then turns around with his two year old daughter, so in the car, in his Volkswagen atlas, and he starts making the 45 minute drive back home. And he talks to Kirsten on the phone, and she said, everything seemed fine, nothing seemed even remotely out of the ordinary.

But after that phone call was made, everything changed. On his way home, Jared was driving through sanctuary Boulevard when he noticed a spare tire lying in the middle of the road. And rather than driving around it, he did what any good person would do and he got out of his car to move it. But that decision to get out of the car and move the tire was a life-changing one. Because as soon as he did, he was ambushed by a gunman who just came out of nowhere and shot him multiple times ultimately ending his life. And God, it is just so upsetting thinking that his

two-year-old daughter, Bexley, is in the car when all of this occurs. And she's strapped in her car seat in the back of the car, crying for three whole minutes as any baby would. Thankfully though, she wasn't in the car for very long. Someone came across the scene at around 8 p.m. and called 911. And they actually pulled her out of her car seat and held her until EMS came. And this is also really sad, but Kirsten

had been trying to call Jared and had a feeling that something was wrong because he wouldn't have ignored her calls, especially when he's just in the car. And police actually ended up answering one of those calls and told her that something happened and she needed to come down to the station. This just truly came out of nowhere. She had no idea what could have happened.

Like I said, she knew something was wrong, but she just never could have guessed how bad it was. And right away, please note that this wasn't a robbery because at the scene, they found Jared's watch, his wedding ring, his phone, his wallet. So who could have wanted him dead? This was clearly a calculated ambush. And now investigators had to figure out who was responsible for the murder of 33 year old Jared Bride again.

News 4 Jack starts right now with a breaking news alert. And that breaking news alert comes from Jacksonville Beach. Police investigating a deadly shooting tonight. This is a live look at the scene. Police still out there right now.

Shooting happened in the sanctuary neighborhood, which is right off Butler Boulevard. Newstripp Jack supporter Anne Maxwell joins us live. At least a dozen police cars were at the scene earlier. How is it looking now, Anne?

Well, Stacy, we're at the intersection of Sanctuary Boulevard in Jacksonville Drive. Still an active police presence here. That section of Sanctuary Boulevard totally blocked off. A neighbor tells me he heard three gunshots. He says it was one gunshot followed by a a lot of people are going to get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. They're going to be able to

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get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. They're going to be able to get their own money. easy for some money to just right there. So the investi began right away, but it actually took several weeks which ended up being a vi several news releases were to check their security cam looking for a dark colored

with a silver toolbox in the trunk. Based on the footage that they recovered, investigators believed that the tire had not been in the road long before Jared came upon it, so it seemed as if it was put there specifically for him. And again, the question came up, who would want Jared dead? I mean, he was a loving father, he was a member of the community that no one seemed to have any issues with. He didn't have any obvious enemies, which made finding a person or persons of interest very difficult weeks and then months

went by without any answers. And I can't imagine how painful and scary that must have been for Kirsten and the kids. Well, today, Mark, six months since the murder of a local father of four, Jared Bratigan. And his murder has attracted national attention, even international attention. With investigators saying he was targeted on a Jacksonville Beach road just outside the sanctuary neighborhood. Police believe after dropping off his twins at his ex-wife's home, he stopped to move this tire in the road, and that's when he was shot to death in front of his two-year-old

daughter, strapped in her car seat until he helped arrive. For Kirsten Bridegan, it's these moments. That dig into her heart already hurting from grief. Her daughter now worried about her mother's safety. After she witnessed her father's murder six months ago, she was only two and a half at the time. And Brightigan says some days she understands her father is gone, but other days she talks about looking forward to seeing him come home. And that's excruciating because I have to go back and explain, no honey, like dad's not going to be there. His body got hurt, dad died, and then it just like starts all over. Now as we know, the court of public opinion works fast, and that was definitely the case here, because pretty much right away,

people became very sus of his ex-wife, Shanna. Words are disparate about their less than friendly divorce, and people began to speculate that maybe Shanna was involved in Jared's murder. We'll get back to your podcast after this break. Actually, wouldn't it be great if this was your break? Right here in the podcast you love? You can connect your brand to your target audience with the help of Roger Sports and Media. As one of Canada's biggest podcast networks, we can help you explore advertising options

within this podcast and so many others. It's a chance to showcase your brand to listeners who are passionate about the content they're hearing. Learn more at RogerSportsImedia.com. But speculation and evidence are two very different things, and investigators needed hard evidence, but luckily, it wasn't too long until they had just that. In August of 2022, investigators started to concentrate their efforts on a 61-year-old man named Henry Tenan, who happened to be a man with a criminal record. Henry, who'd previously been arrested nine times in Jacksonville for minor offenses, was already in jail, pending felony charges when investigators wanted to question him in connection to Jared's murder.

And their instincts paid off because on January 25th, 2023, after gathering the evidence they needed, Henry was officially charged with murder. In total, he was charged with second-degree murder, with a weapon conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact to a felony and child abuse. And just to clarify, the child abuse charge comes from the fact that Bexley was in the vehicle when the murder occurred and that projectiles were found just feet away from her.

And when his arrest was announced, it was especially emphasized that this was not a case closed situation because investigators were confident that Henry did not work alone. Tonight, Jacksonville Beach Police have a suspect in a local father's murder 61-year-old Henry Tenant faces several charges for the murder of Jared Brightigan. This was a planned and targeted ambush in murder.

This is Action News, Jackson 6. I'm Tnika Hughes. I'm John Bachman. We're taking you through every aspect of this murder that shook Jacksonville Beach and made headlines nationwide. This is our team coverage now live from the other potential arrests and the link between the suspect and the victim. We start with action news. Jack's Robert Grant live at the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. Robert the state attorney's office says Henry Tenon did not act alone in this. Yeah and John that's why the

suspect has also been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Today the Jacksonville Beach Police Chief had a press conference at the department here asking anybody with information about Henry Tenon to come forward.

This was a planned and targeted ambush and murder. And now this man, Henry Tenon to come forward. This was a planned and targeted ambush and murder. And now this man, Henry Tenon, is in jail for second degree murder in connection to the case. Jared Ridingen was gunned down nearly a year ago. His widow, Kirsten, in tears at today's announcement. The Roots of Somicide has pained our community. But the search for answers isn't over.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson says they're keeping most information under wraps. Even sealed, the 61-year-old suspects arrest warrant. Now you're probably wondering how investigators found this guy and how they determined that he was involved, so let me explain. Henry not only drove the same make, model, and color of the four that they were suspicious of, but he was also a tenant of a property managed by none other than Mario Fernandez-Saldana. Remember him? That's Shana's second husband. Now, of course, it is not illegal for Henry to have been renting a property from Mario, but it sure as hell was suspicious

and connected him to the victim. And of course, I want to be clear, once again, that suspicion is an evidence, but the thing is, they didn't arrest him based on suspicion. They actually had undeniable evidence that he was connected to the murder. In a status hearing in February of this year, not long after being charged, Henry pleaded not guilty on all charges.

And I can't imagine how emotional all of this was for Kirsten finally seeing this man and knowing that the road Justice was gonna be long, but she was actually there and I really commend her bravery for that and continuing to fight for her husband All while trying to raise her two young children from the beginning. She knew that her husband's death was intentional and getting some answers must have been Very bittersweet, very overwhelming. Today is a day. We've pre-for, for almost a year.

We're grateful we're here today to see this. This first step happening in the fight for justice for Jared. While we're glad we've made it this far, we know that the road ahead is hard and we have a long road in this fight. Henry Tenon is only one piece, only one of the people responsible for Jared's murder. He's only one chess piece. There are more to fall before justice is done. We will continue to brace ourselves for each step of his brutal process and do our best as a family to represent the man that Jared was since he is not here to do that for himself. And I think it goes without saying that it must have been terrifying knowing that this

was a conspiracy, but not knowing how big it was or who else was involved and why. And keep in mind, when Henry was arrested, the public didn't know about his connection to Mario. Even Kirsten had no idea how he was involved, how he had known Jared, or why he would want to kill Jared, and said that Jared definitely didn't know him. She said that this confirmed her suspicions from the beginning that this was a conspiracy, but was still equally as confused because she had no idea who he was. This was a man with an extensive criminal history and seemingly no connection to Jared. Honestly, it's really scary.

I think that's the best way to describe it is you learn that you have an answer, but as soon as they announce that there was a conspiracy that just raised all of the alarms for us and for as a family and all of those that have heard about the case, which is it's very chilling because we don't we don't know how large that conspiracy is. And even after Henry's arrest, the investigation was held pretty close to the vest. There was no information released about his alleged co-conspirators, and so online speculation was running wild. That was until March 16th, when a second arrest was made, and all the pieces seemed to come together more clearly. Because guess who was arrested? None other than Shanna's husband, Mario Fernandez

Saldana. He was arrested and charged with first degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder, accessory after the fact to a capital felony and child abuse. In late January, we announced the arrest of Henry Tenon on several charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and second degree murder. Today, we announced the additional arrest. Of Mario Fernandez, Saldana for several charges related to Jared's murder.

But that wasn't the only shocking announcement of the day. That morning, before Mario's arrest, Henry agreed to a plea deal where he would testify against his co-conspirators in exchange for a lesser sentence. And as part of his plea, Henry named Mario as a coan spiriter, which is ultimately what led to his arrest. By pleading guilty, the prosecutors dropped all the charges except for the second degree murder with a weapon, and he is now facing 15 years to life for that. So now let's get into more concrete evidence that investigators found implicating these two in the murder.

First of all, investigators found three handwritten checks that Mario paid to Henry allegedly associated in the murder. First of all, investigators found three handwritten checks that Mario paid to Henry allegedly associated with the murder. Not only that, but phone records show that the two of them contacted each other 35 times in February of 2022, 30 times in March of 2022 and several more times in May and June of 2022. Now you might be thinking maybe it had to do with the fact that

Henry was renting a place from Mario. Well, that couldn't be the case because that lease ended in February of 2022. And even if it didn't, who is talking to their landlord that much? I mean, I'm sure in some cases you are, but it's not very reasonable. There's really no reason for the two of them to be talking after the lease ends and how come Mario was writing Henry checks after the lease ended. The landlord writing the renter checks none of this is adding up. Investigators believe 34 year old Mario Fernandez hired a hitman to ambush Jared bride again in an attack on sanctuary bou Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach 13 months ago. According to an affidavit, Fernandez paid three handwritten checks to Henry Tenan, who rented a house from Fernandez, but didn't have any direct ties to the victim.

The state attorney says Tenan admitted to shooting Bridegan, pleading guilty to second degree murder. So even though Mario's arrest in this case was huge, it definitely wasn't the end of the investigation. It was made clear news conferences that this was an active and ongoing investigation. And I'm sure you can guess where this is going. On April 4th of 2023, Mario attended an arraignment hearing during which he entered his plea of not guilty.

He remained and still remains in DuVal County jail without bail. Mario had his next court appearance on May 3rd, and it was at this hearing that the prosecution announced that the state would be seeking the death penalty. And by this point, there's probably one big question on your mind, and that is what about Shana? I mean, she had to have been involved, too, right? Well, following the murder of her ex-husband, Shana refuted any statement saying that she was somehow involved. She claimed that despite their tumultuous divorce,

she never would have wanted anything bad to happen to the father of her children. But despite making these claims that many people wondered if that was true. We'll get back to your podcast after this break. Actually, wouldn't it be great if this was your break? Right here in the podcast you love? You can connect your brand to your target audience with the help of Roger Sports and Media. As one of Canada's biggest podcast networks,

we can help you explore advertising options within this podcast and so many others. It's a chance to showcase your brand to listeners who are passionate about the content they're hearing. Learn more at roger-sports-media.com. A vigil was held for Jared just a few months after he passed. And friends, family loved ones were all there to show their support and honor him. But Shana and the twins were not there. They were however spotted in that same park that the vigil was held in just a day before it took place. Now Shana has said that they weren't invited to the vigil. And even if that's true, Kirsten has claimed that Shana has done everything she can to keep the twins

isolated from the rest of the family following Jared's murder. The twins lived with Shana and Mario during this time and they didn't get to see their half siblings or stepmom at all. In addition to this, many were suspicious because Shana had hired an attorney in June of 2022 before any arrests were even made. Keep in mind, Henry was arrested in August.

According to her own statements, she hired this attorney not because she had anything to hide, but because she said she was fearful for the safety of her kids after they were photographed one day at the park, which was the day before the vigil. But personally, what I think is most strange is how it had been months since her ex-husband was killed and she hadn't spoke out publicly. It wasn't until the end of June that she finally said something. In her first public statement since the murder, she said that she wanted people to understand where she was coming from. As her innocence has come into question, she had a gardener spoke to me in the only TV

interview she says she'll be doing to tell her side of the story. I do want people to understand now where I'm coming from. Almost five months after Jared Bridegain was murdered in the street in front of his two-year-old daughter, we spoke with his ex-wife who is not commented publicly so far. Our first question, why have you stayed silent? I was asked to not talk to the media or give a public statement, but with the level of speculation, I felt that now it was necessary to speak out. Shanna Gardner revealed she was asked by Jared Brightigan's widow, Kiersten, not to speak

publicly, but we wanted to know how the relationship could have gotten to that point. I'm sure that you would say that we've had happy moments. I mean, we share two most beautiful children in the world. In 2015, Jared and Shana divorced their court records, which we obtained from the St. John's County court system, revealed a long complicated process lasting over five years. Anytime divorce comes into any situation, it's messy. It just is, I will say, that I think that we both love our kids. Jared and Shana both wanted full custody.

The court filed details allegations of spying, deceit, and more. In the end, Shana and Jared reached an agreement. They shared custody. And whenever the children were at one parent's house, the other would come over Wednesday and have a date night. That's exactly what Jared and his twins did the night he was killed. It was actually one of the things. I'm sorry.

I remember my son tucking him in and saying that it was a good date night. I fell to the floor because I was devastated for what I was going to have to tell my kids. Jared died in that street, leaving behind four children and a heartbroken family. They were, I think, in shock. Later, in a blog post, Shana's mother said she was not invited to the funeral. I asked Shana about the situation. His family did not invite me or want me there. But the day before a visual hosted by Jared's widow at

Celebration Park, Shana was photographed at the park with her kids by the tabloid Daily Mail. Talk about a violation of privacy. Because my kids know that they were photographed and they were worried. The tabloid presented the facts in a way that leave room for speculation about Shana having a

role in Jared's death, citing their rocky divorce papers and her absence from the funeral. Even though we didn't always get a long he was still the father of my kids. So I asked Shana the question, did you have anything to do with Jared's murder?

No, I did not have anything to do with his murder. She really sat there and denied having anything to do with Jared's murder. But meanwhile, some pretty crazy accusations were being made. Turns out back in 2015, Shana had gone to a tattoo shop and became pretty friendly with one of the artists. So friendly that she apparently felt comfortable enough to open up to him all about her divorce and how she just which Jared would shut up. And then she allegedly asked this person if they knew anyone who could shut him up. Now this

tattoo artist has been interviewed by police and confirmed these statements to be true. Of course, Shanna, on the other hand, denies there being any meaning behind her words. Oh, and remember that personal trainer that Shanna denied having a fair with? Well, they came forward and said that they did in fact have an affair, but to his credit, he was under the impression that she was separated, so just another lie. But with anything that would come out, she would deny it and say that she wasn't going to comment on it. That was sort of her strategy, it seemed. However, she did give one more statement this time not on camera, but it is pretty vague. With all the accusations

surrounding her tumultuous divorce, you would think she would want to clear the air, but apparently not. Shanta said, I don't see any good in airing out our dirty laundry. Our relationship is pretty complicated and remains pretty complicated. Now I will say in terms of the timeline, her denying everything wasn't unusual. I mean, by this point, Henry and Mario hadn't been arrested, but once

they were, it became way harder for her to deny any involvement. And plus, as you probably remember, as part of Henry's plea deal, he had to out any other co-conspirators. And when he outed Mario, guess who he also outed? You guessed it, Shanna. But of course, when it was time to arrest Shanna, she wasn't living in Florida anymore. Following the extensive media coverage on the case, Shanna decided to move to West Richland Washington with her twins. Turns out her happy marriage to Mario wasn't so happy and they split up. And it also just so happens that she was planning to move right around the time that investigators

are finding the connection between Mario and Henry. Coincidence? I don't know. But in the end, it honestly doesn't matter where she was living, her arrest was inevitable. Very recently, on August 17th, Shanna Gardner was arrested on the same four charges as Mario. In the indictment, it's believed that she conspired with Mario to solicit Henry to murder her ex-husband between November 1st, 2021 and February 16th,

2022, and it's actually believed that Shana may have been conspiring against Jared as early as May of 2015, just months after filing for divorce. And this arrest must have been a major relief to Kirsten and Jared's entire family. It has been such a relief. I feel like a heavy major relief to Kirsten and Jared's entire family. It has been such a relief. I feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders with this last arrest. I know there's a lot still to come, but right now we're feeling good and we're feeling positive. I don't even know how to put it into words, the feeling that we have, you know, there's a sense of happiness that finally, this is happening, something that we have felt would be coming, but also sadness for Liam and Abby

and what that means for them. So very complicated emotions, but overall, we are feeling good and we are looking forward to justice being served. I wanted them held accountable and I wanted my kids to know they are off the streets, they are not going to harm our family anymore and so it's a very good feeling to know

that there have been three arrests in this case. They can't tell us the evidence. So, you know, we just have to have faith that it's by the book they have enough evidence, this was a strong case. And we're holding to that hope and that belief and hopefully that'll play out that way in court. For me, it's important to be there to show not only Jared that we're fighting for him, but to show the community like we're still here, thank you

for the support. We're still fighting. And to show those involved in his murder, we're not going anywhere. No matter how tough it will get, we will be here. We will be looking you in your face and we will be hoping for justice. And just like Mario, the state will be seeking the death penalty against Shana. Many have wondered if either of them will be offered a plea deal like Henry, but that's doubtful. Shana has been held with no bond. And her latest hearing was very recently,

September 14, and prior to this hearing, her lawyer tried to prevent her extradition to Florida, but that doesn't surprise me. Washington does not have the death penalty, and as we know, that's what prosecutors are seeking against her. If she goes to Florida and is found guilty, chances are she will be put to death.

And I can't stress enough that refusing to waive extradition isn't normal. A comment in the New York Post put it best. Request for extradition are rarely refused. Refusing or fighting interstate extradition may be fruitful in very limited circumstances, but often it only serves to prevent you from fighting your underlying case, delaying the process. This may potentially inhibit your local lawyer from preparing a good defense to underlying charges. At the time of refusing extradition, she was considered a fugitive of justice. Her latest hearing just happened on September 14th, and here's what we learned.

At this hearing, we learned that Florida's governor, Rhonda Santis, signed a warrant asking for Shannon's extradition back to the state where the crime took place. In this warrant, he is asking that Washington State governor, Jay Inslee, approve his request so that the case against her can move forward. And I do wonder, if she pleads not guilty, what is she going to say happened? In my mind, chances are she will try to say something along the lines of, My mind chances are she will try to say something along the lines of, you know, I had said some things that Mario misinterpreted and took too far, took literally, and he killed him, but I had nothing to do with it. And it's not what I wanted, you know, we've heard it before.

But I mean, beyond that scenario, I don't really see what she could possibly say to claim that she wasn't involved. There's pretty concrete evidence of Mario paying Henry and the two of them communicating multiple times during a very suspicious time frame. And I wonder if there's more concrete evidence against Shanna. My guess is there probably is. I am very curious to know if investigators have already accessed their messages and have found any agreement, any plans for the murder, although it's possible they did all that over the phone,

and that there's no, you know, text trace of it. Like I said, this is an ongoing case, and there will be more information coming out hopefully soon. It's been said that during the discovery process, copies of the indictment are going to be released and more evidentiary details. So hopefully we will have a much clearer picture in the future. But what I can say is this case is tragic. It's heartbreaking thinking about how those kids are gonna have to grow up without Jared. He was definitely a beloved member of his community, a loved father, and husband. It's just so unnecessary and so very sad. And for him to die in such a violent way, especially in front of his two-year-old daughter, just

God, it's heartbreaking. But speaking of his daughter, I do want to mention something incredible that Kirsten is doing as a result of this tragedy. On the night of her father's murder, Bexley was brought into the police station to wait for her mother to arrive. And when she was there, there were minimal resources for her. There were no real toys besides a coloring book and a squishy police car. There were no diapers, no nothing. And that's why Kirsten is launched Bexley Boxes. Bexley Boxes provide law enforcement

that resources they need to care for a kid experiencing trauma who have to spend time at a police station. They include things like diapers, sippy cups, snacks, toys, blankets, formula, and more. I thought this was just such a cool idea and so selfless of her to wanna create something to help other children after they have been through so much trauma themselves, but it's really a cool way to honor Jared

as well. And I think it is such a useful idea and that so many kids will benefit from Bexley Boxes. So if you would like to make a donation, I'm definitely going to. So I will have all that information in the description box. It would be really cool if we could send her a bunch of support with this project and help other children in need. Kirsten also created an Instagram account called Justice for Jared B. That was mainly for when questions were still looming. And she also created the Brightigan Foundation,

which you can also donate to. I will have that linked below as well. Now I'm sure you guys are wondering about the twins. They have remained in Shana's mother's care at this point. And unfortunately, Kirsten has made several requests to see them and those have all been denied. I really hope that they reconsider. I can imagine that would probably be pretty good for their mental health. Kirsten has also somehow managed to explain to her two very young children what happened to their father, especially to Bexley, who witnessed the entire thing. Ultimately, Kyrsten feels that the harshest

punishment is justified in this case, which is the death penalty. And I definitely want to hear your thoughts on that, because I know the death penalty is a tough one, and people have very mixed opinions. But what do you think is the right punishment for Shanna for Henry for Mario if they are found guilty? And I'm also curious to see how everything's going to pan out in the next couple of months. All I can say is I hope that justice, whatever that looks like, is just around the corner for Jared and for this family. That is going to be it for me today guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.