Casey Anthony’s lawyer, Jose Baez, has been hired to represent Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, who’s charged with conspiring to murder her ex-husband, Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan.
The attorney, who has handled a slew of high-profile cases, is said to charge a $200,000 monthly retainer.
The wealthy parents of Gardner-Fernandez, Shelli and Sterling Gardner, who own the multimillion-dollar papercraft company Stampin’ Up!, are footing the suspected killer’s legal bills, according to sources.
Baez filed a notice of appearance Wednesday and entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client, who has parted ways with local attorney Henry Coxe III after more than a year.
EX-WIFE OF JARED BRIDEGAN ARRESTED IN MICROSOFT EXEC MURDER
Attorney Jose Baez, center, who famously won an acquittal for accused child killer Casey Anthony, left, is now representing Shanna Gardner-Fernandez in her murder-for-hire case. (Getty | Instagram)
Baez rose to fame after scoring an acquittal for Anthony, who was accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in 2008 and who was once dubbed the most hated woman in America.
After Caylee vanished, Anthony, then 22, was seen hitting nightclubs and hanging out with her boyfriend. The little girl wasn’t reported missing for 31 days.
Caylee’s skeletal remains were found in a wooded area near Anthony family home six months after the child disappeared.
Baez persuaded a Florida jury in 2011 that Anthony was innocent in a verdict that stunned the country.
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Family portrait of Jared and Kirsten Bridegan (Infinite Focus Photography / Madeline Insignares)
Baez also represented former NFL player Aaron Hernandez in his appeal after he was convicted of fatally shooting Odin Lloyd. The case abruptly ended when Hernandez killed himself in 2017.
Harvey Weinstein briefly retained Baez to defend him in his New York City rape trial before hiring another team. After axing Baez, he sued him over the $1 million in legal fees he was billed for five months of work.
Baez said in court papers he charges a retainer of $200,000 a month, but Weinstein countered in the filings that the lawyer was “preoccupied with other matters and regularly unavailable to communicate.”
Gardner-Fernandez and her new husband, Mario Fernandez, are charged with first-degree murder and other counts for allegedly orchestrating the killing of 33-year-old Bridegan on Feb. 16, 2022, in front of his toddler daughter.
FLORIDA EX-WIFE OF SLAIN MICROSOFT EXECUTIVE HIRES CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
At left: Jose Baez, left, is shown with Harvey Weinstein, who he briefly represented in his New York City rape trial. At right: Baez is shown with former NFL player Aaron Hernandez. (Getty)
A third co-defendant, Henry Tenon, has admitted that he shot the father of four and is cooperating with the Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office against his co-conspirators.
Gardner-Fernandez shares 11-year-old twins with Bridegan. The pair split in 2016 but had an acrimonious divorce and custody battle that only ended with his death.
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Gardner-Fernandez was arrested in Washington state in August and was extradited to Florida last month.
She’s scheduled to be arraigned Friday in a Duval County courtroom on first-degree murder and other charges, which are eligible for the death penalty.
Baez didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
