Arrested suspect in the armed robbery of a Phoenix dancer now faces charges for her gruesome murder.
Cudjoe Young, a man previously charged with armed robbery, has been indicted on multiple counts in connection with the murder of Mercedes Vega in Arizona. The Maricopa County grand jury issued the indictment on July 24, 2025.
Young faces several serious charges, including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and kidnapping, all in relation to the homicide of Vega, which took place in Tempe, Arizona in April 2022.
The indictment suggests Young is implicated in orchestrating and carrying out acts leading to Vega's death. However, additional details about his prior criminal history, if any, were not provided in the current reports.
In a related development, Sencere Hayes, another suspect, was charged with Vega's murder last year and indicted on the same charges as Young, as well as hindering prosecution. A fingerprint of Hayes was found on a grocery bag in Vega's car, and a print of Jared Gray's was discovered on a plastic cup in the Malibu where Vega's body was found. As of the information available, Jared Gray does not appear to be in custody in Maricopa County.
Young's former lawyer, McCowan, will remain on the case as Young's advisory counsel. Interestingly, Young has sought to have his attorney removed and is now representing himself.
This latest development comes after two other women who worked at the same club as Young were targeted in similar crimes. Vega's family believes her death is linked to an armed robbery at her Phoenix apartment building on Oct 12, 2020.
Young's trial in the robbery and attempted robbery was scheduled to begin on Tuesday. His arraignments, along with co-defendant Sencere Hayes, are scheduled for Friday.
Attorneys for both Hayes and Young did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to comment further on the open charges linked to Vega's case.
Mercedes Vega, 22, was kidnapped from her apartment building's parking garage on April 16, 2023, and was found beaten, shot, and burned in the back seat of a Chevrolet Malibu on an interstate east of Phoenix before dawn on April 17.
[1] Maricopa County Grand Jury Indicts Suspects in Mercedes Vega Murder Case [2] Cudjoe Young and Sencere Hayes Charged with Murder, Kidnapping, Arson, Theft, and Armed Robbery with a Deadly Weapon in Mercedes Vega's Murder
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not contain any opinions or unverified information. The facts presented in this article are based on the provided bullet points. For the latest updates on this case, please refer to official sources.
- The murder of Mercedes Vega in Arizona is not only a matter of general news and crime-and-justice, but also highlights the complexities of war-and-conflicts within the local community, as it appears connected to prior incidents of armed robbery and violence.
- As the politics of the criminal justice system unfold in the Mercedes Vega murder case, with multiple suspects indicted and trials commencing, the public awaits the resolution of this ongoing saga in the realm of war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice.
