August 26, 2026 / 3:44 PM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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A man accused of arranging the fatal shooting of a Microsoft design manager on a Florida road was convicted Wednesday in a murder-for-hire scheme fueled by a stormy child custody arrangement between the victim and his wealthy ex-wife.Jared Bridegan was shot four years ago after he got out of his SUV to remove a tire from a road in Jacksonville Beach. The attack stumped police for months as they struggled to understand why someone with no apparent enemies would be killed while his daughter sat nearby in her car seat.Prosecutors believe he was killed because of ongoing strife with his former wife over the parenting of their twins.Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, was convicted on Wednesday of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder after nearly four hours of jury deliberation, according to CBS affiliate WJAX-TV. He's married to Bridegan's former wife, Shanna Gardner, whose trial is set to start in September.
Defense attorney James Hill, left, walks in his client, defendant Mario Fernandez Saldana, during his trial on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida.
