0:00
That's Henry Tenon. He had admitted to carrying out a hit, murdering Microsoft executive
0:11
Jared Brightigan. Prosecutors say it happened at the request of Brightigan's ex-wife and
0:17
her new husband, but now Tenon has withdrawn his guilty plea as text messages that prosecutors
0:24
claim discuss a year's long murder plot come to light. I go over the latest developments
0:29
in the murder of Jared Brightigan. I'm Angie Netlivi and this is Crime Fix.
0:42
You know, part of the reason we can cover this case for you here on Law and Crime is because of
0:47
sponsors like Morgan and Morgan. There's a reason why Crime Fix is one of the top true
0:52
crime shows on YouTube. Just like there's a reason why Morgan and Morgan is America's largest
0:57
injury law firm for more than 35 years. They've been fighting for people all over the country
1:03
and have recovered more than 30 billion dollars for clients. The proof is in their track record
1:08
with more than a thousand lawyers across 100 offices nationwide hiring Morgan and Morgan
1:14
is like hiring an army to go into battle for you, a team that will fight hard to get their
1:19
clients the compensation they deserve. Not all law firms are the same. Hire the wrong one
1:25
and you may be beat before you even start. If you're ever injured, you can check out Morgan and Morgan
1:31
and their fee is free unless you win. For more information, you can go to ForThePeople.com,
1:37
slash Crime Fix, click the link below or scan the QR code that you see on your screen.
1:43
It's been just over four years since Jared Brightigan was shot to death in Jacksonville Beach,
1:51
Florida. And this August, his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez
1:57
Saldana will go on trial accused of conspiring to kill Jared. And when that trial begins, there will
2:04
be now a third co-defendant, Henry Tenan. Tenan was a former tenant of Fernandez Saldana's who
2:10
had admitted as part of a plea deal to shooting and killing Brightigan. He said he was hired to
2:16
do it. Tenan had pleaded guilty to second degree murder and agreed to testify against Gardner and
2:22
Saldana, but now that's not going to happen. Before I get to the why of why that's not going to
2:28
happen, let's do a quick recap of the case. Shanna Gardner met Jared Brightigan in 2009 while
2:34
visiting a friend in Florida. The following year they married. When they married, they were both
2:39
devout Mormons, but things started to go south once their twins were born in 2013. And not long after,
2:46
Gardner filed for divorce and she asked for full custody of the twin girls. Fast forward a few years,
2:52
and Jared Brightigan and Shanna Gardner, they've divorced and they're both remarried. Gardner
2:58
to Fernandez Saldana and Jared to his wife Kristen. The prosecutors say Shanna's motive to murder Jared
3:04
has a few things at play. First, their divorce and custody arrangement for the twins was contentious.
3:11
Brightigan wanted to raise the girls in the Mormon faith and they believe Shanna Gardner could have
3:16
full access to a trust fund if Jared Brightigan was dead. Prosecutors say they uncovered years old
3:23
text messages in which Gardner said she wished that Brightigan would just disappear and she and
3:28
her friends talked in code about wanting Jared dead. Now we're getting a look at those text messages
3:35
that prosecutors plan to use as evidence at trial. We're seeing them for the very first time.
3:40
This text exchange between Shanna and her friend Kim Jensen is from May of 2015.
3:46
Shanna wrote, I'm just not having a good day. Kim Jensen responded, don't write the day off
3:51
as bad yet. I'm still trying to send stupid to prison. She added, if I can't make a casserole,
3:59
prison is the next best option. There are more text messages, some from 2016 where prosecutors say
4:05
the women spoke in code. On July 17, 2016, Kimi wrote to a woman named Susan Lee, Shanna
4:12
needs a guy. Susan Lee responded, what kind of guy? Kimi responded, the kind that performs
4:19
permanent disappearing acts on certain people. Kimi added, no any magicians? Susan Lee responded,
4:27
ah, magician. No, that I do not. For stupid, she asked, Kimi responded, I was thinking Thomas
4:35
LOL. Susan Lee responded, he isn't a magician, but I'll ask if he knows any. Susan added, I'm sure
4:42
her ex knows a few. We've heard about these text messages and read about them, but now we're seeing
4:48
them in this drop of discovery and these texts are from 2016. Prosecutors contend, this shows that
4:55
Shanna Gardner had murder on her mind for years. On the same day, another set of messages between
5:01
Shanna and Kimi were released. Shanna wrote, I'm at church, I'm fabulous with a straight face emoji,
5:07
my favorite place on earth. Kimi responded, deep breaths, it's going to be okay, I'll talk to you
5:13
as soon as you get out, just breathe. You'll work out all of this frustration at the gym later
5:19
and then part of the text is blacked out as a redaction citing an active criminal investigation.
5:25
Kimi then typed, he hates him. Kimi added, if not, I know Susan's husband knows people,
5:32
LOL. Shanna responded, just when I think doing this whole one week off slash on thing is a good idea,
5:39
it gives me such great pleasure imagining slitting his throat. The next text message is also
5:46
blacked out, it's redacted, citing it's protected because it could include the substance of a confession
5:52
or information about an informant. Now these text messages are from 2016, a full five and a half
5:59
years before Jared Brightigan was murdered. There are also text messages from August of 2022,
6:05
months after Jared was murdered, where Shanna tells Kimi, I don't want anyone to know, and
6:11
Kimi responds, I'm not. Prosecutors will introduce these to show that Shanna Gardiner had a year's
6:17
long deep-seated hatred for Jared and had possibly plotted to murder him for many, many years,
6:23
but what will the defense do? Well they may just say this is a frustrated ex-wife blowing off
6:28
steam to friends and that prosecutors are simply reading too much into these texts.
6:34
Also released this report showing the ATF conducted what they called a controlled call with a
6:39
cooperating witness on October 7, 2023. The report is marked restricted. The report states,
6:47
the person who is the subject of an active criminal investigation told Fernanda Saldana,
6:53
the ATF had forced entry into the residence the previous day, damaging the front door's lock,
6:59
which required repair. The person said he or she had multiple items taken from the house.
7:05
During the conversation, the person told Fernanda Saldana they were looking for something,
7:10
then asked Fernanda Saldana if he had anything at the house. Fernanda Saldana replied he did not
7:16
own anything in the residence. The call lasted four minutes eight seconds. The evidentiary value of
7:24
this call isn't clear at this point, but it could become more clear at trial. At the time that
7:29
Jared Brightigan was murdered in February of 2022, he had remarried to a woman named Kristen,
7:34
I mentioned that earlier, and he was happy, but Jared still shared those twins with Shayna Gardner,
7:39
and prosecutors say that was part of this year's long plot to carry out Jared's murder.
7:45
Prosecutors will say that Shayna wanted full custody of the twins and full access to that trust
7:50
fund I mentioned, and that that was the motive. So the theory is that Shayna Gardner and her
7:56
estranged husband hired 62-year-old Henry Tenan to kill Jared Brightigan. Tenan was a tenant
8:03
of Fernanda Saldana's. Prosecutors have already revealed these checks written by Fernanda Saldana
8:09
to Tenan for thousands of dollars. One is labeled a Kickstarter. It says good luck in the memo line.
8:15
On February 16, 2022, Jared Brightigan was murdered in Jacksonville Beach with his two-year-old
8:21
daughter strapped in her car seat. A police summary says Brightigan was driving home on a dark,
8:28
isolated road named Sanctuary Boulevard. With his two-year-old daughter, he stopped,
8:32
put on his hazard lights, and stepped out to remove a large tire lying in the roadway.
8:38
That is when he shot multiple times. At first, Brightigan's murder appeared to be random,
8:44
but there were some things that showed it was anything but including that tire in the road.
8:50
Security footage recorded a pickup truck in the area at the time of the murder, which led
8:54
Jacksonville Beach police to Henry Tenan. Police would later discover Tenan was Fernanda Saldana's
9:02
tenant. Prosecutors say Fernanda Saldana was going to pay Tenan $150,000 to carry out that hit.
9:10
18 months after the murder, a grand jury indicted both Gardner and Fernanda Saldana for their
9:16
roles in this plot. On August 17, 2023, officers took Shana Gardner into custody in Washington State.
9:27
It takes several minutes, but Gardner finally emerges from the home.
9:46
I'll go to the passenger side.
10:16
That's really the same. I don't know if we're going to do a little bit, but most of them left
10:37
in Washington State. So we'll follow you over to...
10:43
So the fact that we're saying going to the PD, we do have interview rooms, but then the PDs,
10:49
so we can take her over there and pull her out. Yeah, if you want to bring her there and then we'll
10:55
follow behind you. So just the heads up, I don't know if the jail is going to take anything
11:05
out in the bottle. Other than why it's always like everything else.
11:09
Good to go. We could try, but I think the jail probably soon
11:27
Myelage is 10.1. Perfect, thank you.
11:50
Are you getting any air back there?
11:56
Is it hot back there?
12:00
Gardner declined to speak with the officers at the police department.
12:03
Now to Henry Tenon, the one-time confessed hitman who was supposed to be the state's
12:08
star witness at trial. How old's your dog? How old's your dog?
12:15
Don't cheat him. Oh, thanks, no puppy.
12:19
Pretty little dog. Hello. Exactly a year earlier, police came across Tenon.
12:25
They took him into an interview room, and he was there for a long, long time, more than five
12:29
hours. But guess what? We can't control what's next. That's what we get to control, Henry. What's
12:37
next? How do I remember? How do I want to, how do I want to go out of this world,
12:42
man of character, man who did what's right, or just some chomps?
12:48
Because that's what we're being played for right now is chomps.
12:51
We ain't no chomps, Henry. I know you ain't no chomps.
12:57
When I say respect, I'm in it. I give you the same respect you give me. You've been
13:03
respectful to me. I haven't raised my voice at you. I mean, you raised your voice. I mean,
13:06
we disagreed. We know we're not on the same page, but we both know we can get there.
13:11
We both know that. I know you.
13:13
Much of Henry Tenon's police interview is redacted, likely because he makes admissions.
13:19
Then he asks for a lawyer. Tenon had pleaded guilty to second degree murder,
13:29
and he agreed to testify against Gardner and Fernandez-Saldana at trial. He would be their
13:33
star witness, but now that is no longer happening.
13:49
Henry Tenon has withdrawn his guilty plea. He's rolling the dice, and he's going to trial.
14:19
We have not alleged any wrongdoing. We are just simply asking the court to use our
14:26
available discretion since Mr. Tenon has not been sentenced to set this case for a trial
14:31
or a university to trial. What's a good cause? We can clear not our two guilty attorneys.
14:37
That's why we are simply asking under 3.17L for the court to use her ability
14:43
to create a trial on the merits.
14:47
And the state has no objection to the court bringing that motion before the trial.
14:51
The state doesn't say it's an off-site motion from the state's perspective to have a defendant's
14:58
plea agreement on the state where the objection to court says this,
15:02
proceeds to say this thing right now, or it actually would accept the defendant.
15:06
So as we knew about the court's discretion, we have no objection to the granting of the motion.
15:10
The judge then questioned Henry Tenon about what exactly he wanted to do.
15:41
So there you hear it. He wants a trial. So all three defendants are going on trial for the
15:45
murder of Jared Brightigan. A jury will decide whether there is enough evidence to find all of them
15:51
guilty of the conspiracy to murder Jared Brightigan or not. I should mention that all of them
15:58
have pleaded not guilty, so the trial will start in August. And that is it for this episode of
16:04
Crime Fix. I'm Angie Netlivi. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.