A Microsoft exec’s widow took the stand and said the man who funded his murder was ‘a yappy little dog who had to pay someone else to bite’

Mario Fernandez Saldana was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for the murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan, after a hearing where Bridegan’s widow compared him to “a yappy little dog who had to pay someone else to bite.” A jury had found Fernandez guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony, as reported by Court TV.

Judge London Kite handed down the sentence on Thursday after denying a final defense motion to set aside the verdict and grant a new trial. Prosecutors argued that Fernandez, 38, paid his former tenant to stalk and kill Bridegan.

Kirsten Bridegan took the stand and described her late husband as a dedicated father who she said faced constant opposition and “belittling psychological warfare” from his ex-wife and her family. “Mario has always been a small man in comparison to Jared. Small in stature, lacking in integrity, deficient in courage and devoid of honor,” she said. “If Jared was a gentle giant, Mario was a yappy little dog who had to pay someone else to bite.”

His family didn’t hold back at the hearing

Bridegan’s parents appeared at the hearing via Zoom and said the murder left a permanent and devastating mark on their family. Bridegan’s father-in-law testified about visiting Fernandez’s home the day after the murder. He said, “While the rest of us were attempting to console and comfort the twins, Mario was as cold as ice.”

Defense attorney Shannon Day had argued for a new trial, claiming the state built its case on circumstantial evidence and improperly stacked inferences. Day also argued that the state portrayed legitimate defense arguments as calculated denial. Judge Kite rejected the motion, and while the defense asked for a shorter sentence on the solicitation charge, the judge sided with the prosecution. Fernandez did not speak during the hearing.

Bridegan, 33, was killed on Feb. 16, 2022, shortly after dropping off the two children he shared with his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, at her home. While driving away, he stopped to move a tire blocking the road and was shot after stepping out of his car. His 2-year-old daughter from his second marriage was in the back seat. Fernandez did not pull the trigger, but prosecutors argued he set the murder-for-hire plot in motion.

Gardner, who is still married to Fernandez, faces the same murder and solicitation charges and has pleaded not guilty. The man prosecutors identified as the gunman, Henry Tenon, initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify, but he later withdrew his plea, and his trial is set to begin in 2027. Both Gardner and Tenon are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.