Arrest Made in Ambush Murder of Microsoft Exec

Sources say there's a link between Henry Teton and Jared Bridegan's ex-wife
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 25, 2023 2:10 PM CST
Arrest Made in Ambush Murder of Microsoft Exec
Bridegan was a manager of user experience at Microsoft.   (Jacksonville Beach Police Departmen)

Police in Florida say an arrest has been made almost a year after Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan was gunned down in a Feb. 16 ambush—and they do not believe suspect Henry Teton acted alone. Teton, 61, was arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder, accessory after the fact to a capital felony, and child abuse, First Coast News reports. Authorities say the latter charge was filed because Bridegan, 33, was shot dead in front of his 2-year-old daughter. Investigators say Bridegan was on his way home to his second wife in Jacksonville Beach after dropping his 10-year-old twins off at his ex-wife's home in St. Augustine when when he was killed in a "planned" and "targeted" shooting.

Investigators say Bridegan was shot several times after he got out of his vehicle to move a tire that had been placed in the middle of a road in a wooded area in Jacksonville Beach. WJXT reports that records show Teton lived in a home owned by Mario Fernandez, the second husband of Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez. Sources tell the station that Gardner-Fernandez, who has denied any involvement in the murder, has since moved with the twins to Washington state, where her family has a home, while Fernandez remains in Florida.

Teton has been in jail since August, when a shotgun and a small bag of marijuana were found in his vehicle, WJXT reports. Charges including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon were later dropped, but he pleaded guilty to felony driving with a suspended license. State Attorney Melissa Nelson says her office will be seeking a first-degree murder indictment. She says that because the investigation is ongoing, documents including the arrest warrant for Teton will be sealed for 30 days. (More Florida stories.)

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