The dad and mom of Shanna Gardner, who’s charged with orchestrating the shooting death of her ex-husband greater than two years in the past, have been granted guardianship of the twins the previous couple shared.
According to a report from The Florida Times-Union, a courtroom determined the twins, who are actually 12 years previous, will proceed residing in Washington state with Gardner’s dad and mom, the place they’ve been since earlier than their mom’s arrest in August 2023. The kids’s paternal grandparents had been seeking full custody.
Gardner moved together with her kids to dwell together with her dad and mom, Sterling and Shelli Gardner, shortly after the twins’ father, 33-year-old Jared Bridegan, was murdered in an ambush shooting in Jacksonville Seashore on Feb. 16, 2022.
When Shanna Gardner was arrested 18 months later, her dad and mom took full custody of the twins, however Bridegan’s dad and mom, Gaylord and JoAnne Bridegan, have been looking for visitation for almost a 12 months. In June, they petitioned the courtroom to grant them full guardianship of the twins.
Sterling and Shelli Gardner are the owners of multi-level marketing company Stampin’ Up!, which is headquartered in Riverton, Utah. They’re additionally prominent in the Mormon community in Utah.
In response to courtroom data, Shanna Gardner consented to grant her dad and mom full guardianship after she was arrested in Washington. She was later extradited to Duval County in October 2023.
The Bridegans’ preliminary petition for visitation argued that the twins’ maternal grandparents had been stopping them from having a relationship with their father’s household.
When News4JAX spoke with Bridegan’s sister in February of this 12 months, she mentioned her dad and mom solely had one supervised go to with the twins and weekly video calls.
In response to the Occasions-Union, the Bridegans’ custody lawsuit later argued that the Gardners helped Shanna flee from Florida after the homicide and that the Gardners weren’t permitting the twins any contact with Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, or their half-siblings.
Earlier this week, the courtroom mentioned “it was in the most effective curiosity of the kids” to stay in Washington with their maternal grandparents, the Occasions-Union reported. A Occasions-Union supply near the case mentioned a part of the confidential settlement signed by each events contains visitation rights for the Bridegans.
Kirsten Bridegan shared a response to the courtroom’s determination on the JusticeForJaredB Instagram web page, saying “this isn’t what Jared would have wished and this isn’t what I would like, however some issues are out of my management/capacity to affect or right.”
Household regulation lawyer Ken Belkin, who is predicated out of New York and isn’t related to the case, defined the custody ruling and what may occur subsequent.
“Beneath the regulation, dad and mom have rights and grandparents have rights. Stepparents usually wouldn’t have rights until they’ve taken the authorized steps essential to undertake the stepchildren, and it doesn’t seem that that’s the case right here,” Belkin mentioned. “They did the appropriate factor. I do assume that the alienation of the Bridegan facet of the household — that can be utilized to perhaps disturb this ruling in the event that they need to proceed to litigate it. That’s the most salient proven fact that they must weaponize towards the opposite facet.”
Jared Bridegan’s homicide
The ambush killing received national attention in 2022 when Jared Bridegan was gunned down whereas attempting to maneuver a tire blocking the street on his method residence after dropping the twins off with Shanna.
The taking pictures happened 2 miles from her residence.
The gunman, Henry Tenon, has since confessed to pulling the set off, however investigators mentioned was employed by Shanna and her husband, Mario Fernandez, to kill Jared. Tenon was a former tenant of Fernandez.
Both Shanna and Fernandez, who was arrested in March 2023, are underneath indictment for first-degree homicide in Jared’s killing, and each face the potential of the loss of life penalty.
Their trial is tentatively set for October 2025.
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