Jacksonville Beach police make arrest in Jared Bridegan death. They say suspect did not act alone

Nearly a year after the ambush hit on a St. Augustine father after dropping off two of his children to his ex-wife in Jacksonville Beach, Police Chief Gene Paul Smith announced an arrest of a 61-year-old felon. But State Attorney Melissa Nelson said he did not act alone in the death of 33-year-old Jared Bridegan.

Henry Arthur Tenon, 61, was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory after the fact to a capital felony and child abuse, Smith and Nelson said.

Jail records show he was already in jail awaiting trial for Aug. 18 charges of possession of a weapon by a felon and driving with a suspended or revoked license on a third or subsequent conviction. That arrest report stated he had a shotgun in the trunk during a traffic stop.

Jared Bridegan's death: Here's what we know about the fatal shooting in Jacksonville Beach

Photos/Video:Truck sought in February shooting death of Jacksonville Beach father

Tenon has nine arrests in Jacksonville on minor offenses, according to jail records. He is also a felon in Georgia. His address is listed in the 8700 block of Old Kings Road in his most recent court documents. However, some people-finder online research tools list the 5200 block of Potomac Avenue. Property records show the ex-wife's husband owned the rental property from 2017 to October 2022.

Nelson said they are only sharing limited details and sealing his arrest warrant and affidavit for 30 days to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation. She said the State Attorney's Office also is seeking an indictment for first-degree murder.

“We know Henry Tenon did not act alone,” she said, also addressing Bridegan's widow, Kirsten, and her family on hand.

But neither Nelson nor Smith offered any hint as to a motive or who else might be involved.

Bridegan still had his now 3-year-old daughter in a car seat when he stopped to remove a tire from the road near the exit of The Sanctuary neighborhood on Feb. 16. He had a regular route he took home after his scheduled visits with his twin 10-year-old son and daughter. This night police said he was shot multiple times while his vehicle's hazard lights were still flashing.

“This was a planned and target ambush and murder," Smith said.

It was unclear if the shooter or shooters knew his daughter was in the back seat, but she was unharmed. Police soon released security video from homes and businesses in the area that night showing a pickup truck they're trying to learn more about — a dark-colored Ford F-150 with tan or brown running boards, likely a 2004 to 2008 model, with a silver toolbox in the back.

Smith said they are still looking for information about that truck.

“The last thing I will ask is for this community to continue its vigilance as we move forward with this case," he said. If anyone has any information about the truck or Tenon, they're asked to call the Jacksonville Beach Police Department at (904) 270-1667. They can also contact First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 (845-TIPS) to remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards or email rewards@fccrimestoppers.com.

Kirsten Bridegan didn't address the media at the news briefing, but she posted the following on social media:

"So incredibly grateful for the men and women working tirelessly on his case and for the media coverage we’ve received," she wrote. "This isn’t the end and we won’t stop until we get there."

Shooting death of Jared Bridegan triggered mass publicity

The shooting set off a chain of unusually high rewards that quickly grew to at least $55,000, and tips and suspicions amassed into a frenzy of media coverage across the country and even world.

Bridegan, an executive with Microsoft, had a long and bitter divorce with about 300 entries and motions in the court file. Attention quickly swirled around his ex, 35-year-old Shanna Gardner-Fernandez and her husband, 34-year-old Mario Enrique Fernandez. So much so that she hired a prominent defense attorney to fend off the media citing invasive photos of her and her children at a local park and implications she was somehow involved with the plot.

She said the public scrutiny and speculation had "become very loud," and it made her children feel unsafe. "My kids are 10. They understand everything that is going on," she told the Times-Union in June. "They see this and they are scared, terrified and struggling."

Shanna Gardner-Fernandez:Jacksonville Beach ex-wife of slain Bridegan speaks out: 'I want people to know where I am coming from'

Action News Jacksonville, citing Fox News Digital, also this week reported Gardner-Fernandez quietly uprooted the twins across the country to a home recently purchased by her parents in West Richland, Wash. They noted it was not with her husband. Her parents are Sterling and Shelli Gardner, co-founders of the highly successful Stampin’ Up! arts and crafts company and fixtures in the Mormon community in Utah.

Through spokeswoman Linda Luchetti, Gardner-Fernandez declined to comment on Wednesday's arrest. "She too will continue to wait for additional news and a resolution. She is focusing on her children and keeping them her priority," Luchetti said.

Kirsten Bridegan and children coping

Meanwhile Bridegan's 31-year-old widow, Kirsten, set up an Instagram account "JusticeForJaredB" to tell his story and seek resolution as she takes care of their two toddler children.

She also is determined to help children who are taken to law enforcement under these circumstances awaiting for family to arrive and founded the Bridegan Foundation to do so. She created "The Bexley Box" and is working on getting them into local police stations and sheriff's offices. The Bexley Box will be filled with diapers, sippy cups, snacks, toys, blankets, stuffed animals and pre-mixed formula.

She told First Coast News in her rush to get to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department that night, she didn't think about what to bring and not knowing the hours they'd be there.

She hopes to deliver at least 16 Bexley Boxes to police departments or sheriff's offices before Feb. 16, the anniversary of her husband's death.

"Jared would be proud of this. He would be proud of good coming from such horror. And I am proud of Bexley and everyone who has helped us get here," she said on Facebook. "These boxes will do a lot of good for children victimized by crime and our goal is to get them as widespread as possible."

Jared Bridegan: Vigil shows 'outpouring of love' for St. Johns County man gunned down in front of toddler daughter

She said sometimes Bexley understands her father's gone, but other days she talks about looking forward to seeing him at future events.

"It's excruciating because I then have to go back and explain, no honey, dad is not going to be there. His body got hurt, dad died, and then it just starts all over," she told the news station.

For Gardner-Fernandez, she told the Times-Union in her June interview, "I feel for Jared's family and what they are going through. I can't even imagine," she said. "I have tried to be respectful. I have tried to give them space."

Anyone with further information in the case can contact the Jacksonville Beach Police Department at (904) 270-1661, First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 (TIPS) or the ATF at Tampatips@atf.gov.

Times-Union writer Beth Reese Cravey contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jared Bridegan death: Henry Tenon arrested in Jacksonville Beach, Florida