The husband of murdered Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife was indicted on first-degree murder charges Thursday over the February 2022 slaying, Florida authorities announced.

Mario Fernandez Saldana, who was arrested in Kissimmee, Florida, is married to Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, Bridegan’s ex-wife. 

Saldana was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse. He could face the death penalty if convicted, State Attorney Melissa Nelson said.

Gardner-Fernandez and Bridegan shared twins and had been locked in a contentious custody battle shortly before his killing.

Bridegan, a devout Mormon who had been a software developer for Microsoft, was slain in front of his daughter Bexley, whom he shared with his second wife, Kristen.

The dad of four had noticed a tire in the road and pulled over to remove it when he was gunned down in what police called a planned ambush.

Little Bexley was in the backseat and alone in the car for a few minutes until a passerby noticed her father dead on the road and called 911.

Saldana’s arrest happened just a few hours after his former tenant and occasional handyman Henry Tenon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in the killing.

“Our investigation has revealed a single link between Jared Bridegan and Henry Tenon: That is Mario Fernandez Saldana,” Nelson said Thursday.

What we know about the Jared Bridegan murder case

Software engineer Jared Bridegan was gunned down in front of his 2-year-old daughter in Jacksonville, Florida, on Feb. 16, 2022.

Officers said the 33-year-old was shot several times at close range and are calling the crime a “targeted” murder.

Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, moved 2,800 miles across the country soon after the shooting and “distanced” herself from her second husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana.

She and Saldana remained suspects in the case until March 16, 2023, when Saldana was arrested in connection to the fatal shooting.

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Saldana is accused of planning Bridegan’s murder with a former tenant, Henry Tenon, and was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony, and child abuse. Saldana pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Tenon pleaded guilty to charges related to Bridegan’s murder.

Gardner-Fernandez was recently arrested in Washington state and charged in connection to the killing.

She will be extradited to Duval County and also face conspiracy, solicitation and child abuse charges.

“Shanna Gardner’s indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan,” State Attorney Melissa Nelson said at a press conference after her arrest.

Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty in the case.

Tenon has agreed to cooperate with authorities and to testify against Fernandez Saldana as part of his plea deal, the prosecutor said.

Nelson said that Tenon and Saldana planned and executed Bridegan’s murder together, but did not go into more detail about how they allegedly committed the heinous act.

Saldana was busted just outside of Orlando and will be extradited three hours north to Jacksonville for his first court appearance, the prosecutor said. 

“Our investigation remains active and ongoing,” Nelson added. “And it has not stopped today with the arrest of Mario Fernandez Saldana. We all remain committed to seeking the truth and that is the entire truth and holding accountable every single individual.”

Gardner-Fernandez and Saldana had reportedly split since Bridegan’s killing. Both previously denied any involvement in the crime.

Their Jacksonville Beach neighbors told The Post earlier this year that Saldana once killed a local cat.

“The whole thing was very, very frightening,” the neighbor said. “It was very disturbing.”

Gardner-Fernandez, who comes from a high-profile Mormon family, left the Florida home in November and moved to Richland, Washington, with the now-10-year-old twins she shared with the slain Microsoft employee.

She is said to have given up on religion after splitting from her first husband, with their marriage reportedly ending after she had an affair. 

Following his split with Gardner-Fernandez in 2015, Bridegan went on to marry Kirsten, mother of Bexley and another daughter, London.

“I’m not surprised, to be honest,” Kirsten Bridegan said shortly after Tenon’s January arrest. “This was orchestrated, this was planned and this was specific to Jared.”

“She heard the noises of the shots that killed her dad, and she was alone wondering what happened to him, and he’s not answering her for minutes — and minutes are an eternity for a child,” she said.