Microsoft execs widow faces man accused of plotting her husbands brutal murder, reveals eerie final call

The widow of slain Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan came face to face Monday with the man accused of helping to plan his killing, recounting the bitter custody conflict and final phone call that preceded the roadside ambush.Kirsten Bridegan took the witness stand as Mario Fernandez Saldana’s murder trial got underway in Florida.Prosecutors allege Fernandez Saldana helped plan and finance the killing and that Henry Tenon was the gunman.Fernandez Saldana has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say the state cannot prove he solicited or intended Bridegan’s death.On Tuesday, jurors watched Nest and Ring footage that prosecutors said traced Bridegan’s black Volkswagen Atlas and a blue two-tone truck through South Jacksonville Beach in the minutes before the killing.

A Jacksonville Beach corporal testified that another camera showed a person prosecutors identified as Tenon walking, then running, from the scene, while nearby audio captured gunfire.The recordings placed the truck near Ocean Cay and Builders Choice about 6:50 p.m., but investigators could not make out its license plate, the corporal said.Kirsten’s testimony detailed a fractured co-parenting relationship among Bridegan, his ex-wife Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez Saldana.“There’s absolutely no trust,” Kirsten told jurors, saying the families relied almost entirely on texts and emails to communicate.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story.Kirsten described disputes over parenting time, medical expenses, schooling and religious decisions involving Bridegan’s twins.

Prosecutors say the years-long conflict helped fuel the alleged murder-for-hire plot.Bridegan, 33, had just dropped off the twins after taking them and his daughter Bexley to dinner when the ambush unfolded, prosecutors say...