Arrest and Extradition: Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, The Woman Accused of Plotting Microsoft Executive's Murder

The woman charged with planning the murder of her ex-husband, a Microsoft executive, and taking their children across the country will soon be brought back to Florida in handcuffs, according to authorities.

Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, 35, was arrested on August 16 in West Richland, Washington, over 18 months after the fatal shooting of Jared Bridegan, 33, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, in front of their toddler daughter.

During her initial court appearance in Washington, she surprised everyone by choosing to fight extradition, causing additional paperwork and a delay of several months. Washington Governor Jay Islee recently approved her extradition after receiving a warrant from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last month, as announced by the Jacksonville State Attorney's Office on Tuesday.

Criminal defense lawyer David Robbins speculated that Gardner-Fernandez may have resisted extradition to prolong her stay in the relatively comfortable Benton County jail. Once she arrives in Jacksonville, she will be placed in the overcrowded and rundown Duval County Jail, which has seen 11 inmate deaths this year.

One possible reason for her delay, according to Robbins, could be her 11-year-old twins, who are still attending school in Washington. She may have wanted to stay close to them.

Gardner-Fernandez faces charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and child endangerment, which could carry the death penalty as a potential punishment. She is the third person arrested in the case. Her husband, Mario Fernandez, and the admitted triggerman, Henry Tenon, 61, were arrested several months ago. Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez, is cooperating with prosecutors.

The trio is accused of conspiring to kill Bridegan on February 16, 2022, on a remote road after he dropped off their twins at Gardner-Fernandez's residence. The couple had been involved in a contentious custody and financial battle since their divorce in 2015. Bridegan's daughter, Bexley, from his second marriage to Kirsten Bridegan, was in the car when he was fatally shot. 

Kirsten was at home with their then-infant, London.

A man who was found guilty of brutally killing two women he met at Florida beach bars during a days-long crime spree met his end on Tuesday. See detailed story here.

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