LOOKING FOR JUST SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS HERE THIS EVENING. JOHN, THANK YOU. AS
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, POLICE
ANNOUNCED AN ARREST IN THE
MYSTERIOUS MURDER THAT HAS
HAUNTED THE COMMUNITY FOR
NEARLY A YEAR.
>> THE NEWS 4 JAX. IS
UNCOVERING A CONNECTION
BETWEEN THE FATHER OF 4 WHO
WAS GUNNED DOWN AND HIS
ACCUSED KILLER. 33 YEAR-OLD
JARED BRIGHT. A GUN WAS SHOT
TO DEATH LAST FEBRUARY. 16TH
ON A DARK STRETCH OF A QUIET
STREET NEAR THE SANCTUARY
NEIGHBORHOOD AT THE BEACH
NEARLY A YEAR LATER, POLICE
AND PROSECUTORS HAVE ANNOUNCED
THEIR FIRST ARREST IN THIS
CRIME. THIS MAN, 61 YEAR-OLD
HENRY TENANT, STATE ATTORNEY
MELISSA NELSON SAYS SHE KNOWS
OTHERS ARE INVOLVED AND THE
POLICE CHIEF SAYS THE CASE IS
FAR FROM CLOSED NEWS FOR
JAX’S. I TEAM INVESTIGATOR VIC
MICOLUCCI SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY
WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE MAN
WHO’S BEEN ARRESTED.
>> NICK IS JOINING US LIVE
FROM THE BEACH TO TELL US HOW
THE VICTIM AND THE SUSPECT
COULD BE LINKED BACK.
>> TOM, THIS IS A VERY
COMPLICATED CASE THAT IS STILL
VERY ACTIVE. A LOT OF POLICE
RESOURCES WATCHING THIS CASE
WORKING THIS INVESTIGATION.
BUT THIS AFTERNOON, I DID
CATCH UP WITH THE MAN WHO
ACTUALLY LIVED AT THE SAME
HOME AS THE PERSON HENRY
TENANT, WHO WAS ARRESTED TODAY
AND THAT HOME HAPPENED TO BE
OWNED AT THE TIME OF THE
SHOOTING BY JARED BRIGHT
AGAINST EX-WIFE’S NEW HUSBAND,
A VERY CONCERNING CONNECTION.
AND JUST THE LATEST IN WHAT IS
A BIZARRE CASE. THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE TODAY. JARED
BROUGHT AGAINST WIDOW AND
SIBLINGS TEARFULLY WATCHED ON
AS INVESTIGATORS ANNOUNCED THE
ARREST OF 61 YEAR-OLD HENRY
TENANT ACCUSED OF BEING PART
OF THE FATHER OF FOUR’S MURDER
LAST FEBRUARY. THIS WAS A
PLANNED AND TARGETED AMBUSH
AND MURDER. TONIGHT WE’RE
LEARNING THERE ARE MORE
SUSPECTS. WE KNOW.
>> HENRY 10 DID NOT ACT ALONE
AND WE HAVE THE NEWS. 4 JAX.
ARE DOING OUR OWN DIGGING INTO
THIS CASE AND WE HAVE
DISCOVERED THAT THIS HOME
BEHIND ME, ALTHOUGH IT’S 25
MILES AWAY FROM THE
JACKSONVILLE BEACH SHOOTING
SCENE.
>> IS TIED TO THE CASE. THAT’S
BECAUSE THIS HOUSE IN
NORTHWEST JACKSONVILLE IS
WHERE HENRY 10 AND USED TO
LIVE AND THE HOME WAS OWNED BY
MARIO FERNANDEZ. MARIO
FERNANDEZ IS MARRIED TO SHAWNA
GARDNER-FERNANDEZ. THAT IS
BROADENING EX-WIFE AND THE
MOTHER OF HIS OLDEST 2
CHILDREN BRIGHT AGAIN, HAD
JUST DROPPED HIM OFF AT THE
COUPLE’S HOME IN JACKSONVILLE
BEACH BEFORE POLICE SAY
SOMEONE LEFT A TIRE IN A DARK
SECTION OF ROAD JUST MILES
AWAY. JARED STOPPED TRIED TO
MOVE THAT TIRE AND THEN WAS
SHAWNA GARDNER-FERNANDEZ HAS
SAID PUBLICLY THAT SHE HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE
TARGETED ATTACK AND HAS SINCE
MOVED TO WASHINGTON STATE WITH
THE TWINS. SOURCES BELIEVE HER
HUSBAND, MARIO FERNANDEZ IS
STILL IN FLORIDA. NEITHER HAS
BEEN CHARGED WITH ANYTHING
RELATED TO THE CASE. IT REALLY
DIDN’T SEEM TO WANT SEEM LIKE
A GOOD DUDE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW,
HE’S A YOUNG GUY, YOU KNOW,
OUT OF THE SERVICE, YOU KNOW,
GOT, YOU KNOW, WIFE AND KIDS.
AS FAR AS I KNOW, AND, YOU
KNOW, SEEM PRETTY SUCCESSFUL
BACK AT THAT HOUSE IN
NORTHWEST JACKSONVILLE. WE
SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY WITH
FERNANDEZ, HIS FORMER TENANT.
>> THAT MAN WAS TENANTS
ROOMMATE. WHAT WAS HE LIKE? HE
WAS A HE WAS A GOOD GUY. YOU
KNOW, HE HAD A COUPLE KIDS SEE
WORK 6 DAYS A WEEK. ARTISTS
WORK I’VE EVER SEEN. HE SAYS
THERE WAS NO INKLING THAT
FERNANDEZ OR 10 AND WE’RE UP
TO ANYTHING ILLEGAL. BUT
LISTEN TO THIS. WHEN I ASKED
ABOUT TENANTS VEHICLE KIND OF
VEHICLE, DID HE DRIVE? I DRIVE
A OLD FORD F ONE 50 AND HE
CROWN VIC. WHAT COLOR IS FROM
>> IT’S BLUE COLOR, MAYBE TO
TOWN. YOU MAY REMEMBER
THROUGHOUT THE INVESTIGATION,
DETECTIVES SHARED PICTURES.
>> OF A DARK BLUE FORD F ONE
50 PICKUP TRUCK WHICH THEY
BELIEVE WAS LINKED TO THE
KILLING. INVESTIGATORS ARE
STILL QUIET ABOUT WHAT THEY’VE
UNCOVERED IN ORDER TO PROTECT
THE INTEGRITY OF THIS ONGOING.
>> AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION.
THE STATE HAS OBTAINED A COURT
ORDER SEALING TENANTS, ARREST
WARRANT AND AFFIDAVIT FOR THE
NEXT 30 DAYS 10 AND HAS BEEN
IN JAIL SINCE AUGUST WHEN
JACKSONVILLE POLICE ARRESTED
HIM ON A NUMBER OF UNRELATED
CHARGES.
>> INCLUDING BEING A CONVICTED
FELON WITH A FIREARM. NOW WE
KNOW HE COULD HOLD THE ANSWER
THAT POLICE NEED TO FIND OUT
WHO ELSE IS INVOLVED AND A
MOTIVE. AND I SPOKE WITH
SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE IN THAT
NEIGHBORHOOD IN NORTHWEST
JACKSONVILLE WHO TELL US BACK
IN OCTOBER THERE WAS HEAVY
POLICE PRESENCE. THEY SAW A
LOCAL POLICE DETECTIVES AS
WELL AS FEDERAL AGENTS RAIDING
THAT HOME SEARCHING FOR
EVIDENCE. THEY SAID THAT THEY
DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS ABOUT.
NOW THEY HAVE MORE ANSWERS
NOW, AS FAR AS THE POLICE
CHIEF AND THE PROSECUTORS
HERE, THEY SAY THIS CASE IS
FAR FROM CLOSED. IT IS STILL
VERY FLUID AND THEY WANT TO
KEEP IT IN THE PUBLIC EYE. SO
IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING, NO
MATTER HOW SMALL THAT PIECE OF
INFORMATION IS, THEY WANT YOU
TO COME FORWARD EITHER. CALL
THE JACKSONVILLE BEACH POLICE
DEPARTMENT, THE STATE
ATTORNEY’S OFFICE OR YOU CAN
SEND AN ANONYMOUS TIP TO FIRST
COAST CRIME STOPPERS. THERE’S
A TOTAL REWARD NOW OF $55,000
FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO AN
ARREST AND CONVICTION. WE’RE
LIVE IN JACKSONVILLE BEACH OF
CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL STATION.
>> KNOW YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF
CONTACT WITH WRITING FAMILY.
ARE THEY SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT
THIS ARREST?
>> OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE VERY
EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS. THIS IS
A A BIG DAY FOR THEM IN THEIR
STEP TOWARD ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED. THEY STILL DON’T
KNOW THE MOTIVE. THEY STILL
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN RIGHT NOW THEY ARE
KEEPING QUIET. THEY SAID THEY
APPRECIATE ALL OF THE SUPPORT
FROM THE COMMUNITY, BUT
THEY’RE NOT SAYING ANYTHING
PUBLICLY BECAUSE THEY DON’T
WANT TO GET IN THE WAY OF THIS
VERY ACTIVE INVESTIGATION.
>> BIG THANK YOU. VIC
MICOLUCCI REPORTING LIVE FROM
JACKSONVILLE BEACH.
>> WE SENT YOU THESE PUSH
ALERTS AS SOON AS WE LEARN NEW
DETAILS OF TENDONS ARREST. YOU
CAN GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS
DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR
DEVICE WITH THE NEWS. 4 JAX
APP IS FREE. JUST SEARCH NEWS.