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The Murder of Mercedes Vega
● Awaiting Trial
Female Victim
Arizona
Mercedes Marianna Vega | 2000–2023
| Full Name | Mercedes Marianna Vega |
| Age | 22 |
| Location | Tempe, Arizona |
| Parents | Erika and Tom Pillsbury |
| Last Seen | April 16, 2023 — 9:15 p.m. |
The Victim
Mercedes Marianna Vega
Mercedes Marianna Vega was 22 years old and lived at the Aubrey apartment complex in Tempe, Arizona. She was a young woman building her life in the Valley, close to her parents Erika and Tom Pillsbury, who have fought publicly and relentlessly for answers since the day she was taken.
In 2020, Mercedes was robbed at gunpoint by a man named Cudjoe Young, who held her at gunpoint and took her belongings. The experience was terrifying, and her mother later described how badly she had been shaking in the aftermath. Mercedes reported the crime, identified Young in a lineup, and was prepared to testify against him in court. That act of courage made her a target.
On the evening of April 16, 2023, Mercedes had plans to meet friends at Dave and Buster's. She was seen on her apartment complex's surveillance cameras at 9:15 p.m., walking toward her car while looking at her phone. She never arrived at her destination. Her parents believe she was taken from the parking garage moments after the footage ends.
01
Background
What We Know
Surveillance footage from Mercedes' apartment parking garage on the evening of April 16, 2023, captured her walking to her car at approximately 9:15 p.m. Court documents later revealed that a Chevrolet Malibu had been in the same parking garage approximately 30 minutes before she appeared on camera. Mercedes' blood was found in her own parking spot and in the front passenger area of her car, indicating she had been physically assaulted and kidnapped at or near the garage. Both her 2019 white Dodge Charger and the Malibu were seen exiting the garage at the same time.
At approximately 12:30 a.m. on April 17, Arizona Department of Public Safety received a 911 call reporting a vehicle fire on Interstate 10 near milepost 85, just west of Tonopah. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and found Mercedes in the back seat of the burning vehicle, which was not her own car. Investigators also found gloves, bleach, and a container of lighter fluid at the scene. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner determined she had been beaten, suffered blunt force trauma to the head, sustained a gunshot wound to her arm, had bleach in her throat, and had been burned. The official cause of death was smoke inhalation. Mercedes was alive when the fire was set.
Mercedes' own car was found abandoned near the Culinary Dropout restaurant at Mill Avenue and Fifth Street in Tempe, not far from her apartment. The Chevrolet Malibu she was found in had been purchased through a fake OfferUp account created by an associate of one of the suspects on March 17, 2023, a month before her murder.
02
Case Timeline
How It Unfolded
2020
Mercedes Robbed at Gunpoint — Identifies Cudjoe Young
Cudjoe Young holds Mercedes at gunpoint and steals her belongings. Mercedes reports the crime, identifies Young in a lineup, and agrees to testify against him in court. Young is charged with armed robbery. The case remains pending for years. Young is also operating a large-scale fentanyl distribution network across multiple states during this period, with investigation involving the DEA, Tempe PD, Phoenix PD, Mesa PD, Homeland Security, and Salt River PD.
Early March 2023
Plane Tickets Purchased — Malibu Acquired
Cudjoe Young purchases plane tickets for Sencere Hayes and Jared Gray to fly from Tennessee to Arizona, using a credit card linked to a person who rented him an apartment. On March 17, a friend of Young creates a fake OfferUp account and purchases a Chevrolet Malibu, the vehicle that will later be used in Mercedes' murder and set on fire with her inside.
April 16, 2023 — 9:15 p.m.
Mercedes Last Seen — Taken from Parking Garage
Surveillance cameras at Mercedes' Tempe apartment complex capture her walking to her car at 9:15 p.m. The Malibu had been in the same garage approximately 30 minutes earlier. Mercedes' blood is later found in her parking spot and in her car. Both vehicles exit the garage at the same time. Mercedes never arrives at Dave and Buster's. Her white Dodge Charger is later found abandoned near the Culinary Dropout on Mill Avenue in Tempe.
April 17, 2023 — 12:30 a.m.
Body Found in Burning Car — I-10 Near Tonopah
Arizona DPS receives a 911 call of a vehicle fire on I-10 near milepost 85. Firefighters extinguish the blaze and find Mercedes in the backseat. She has been beaten, shot in the arm, has bleach in her throat, and has been burned. The medical examiner determines she was alive when the fire was set. Official cause of death is smoke inhalation. Gloves, bleach, and lighter fluid are also found in the vehicle. Hayes and Gray fly back to Tennessee the same day.
November 2024
First Arrest — Sencere Hayes Apprehended in Tennessee
More than a year after Mercedes' murder, MCSO makes a break in the case. Sencere Hayes is arrested in Hamilton County, Tennessee, after his fingerprints match evidence recovered by investigators. He is extradited to Arizona and charged with first-degree murder. MCSO states more arrests are expected.
June 2025
Two More Charged — Young and Gray
Cudjoe Young and Jared Demarcus Gray are charged in connection with Mercedes' murder. Young, who had previously robbed Mercedes at gunpoint in 2020 and against whom she was scheduled to testify, is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Gray is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and theft.
December 3, 2025
Death Penalty Sought for Hayes and Young
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office files a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Sencere Hayes and Cudjoe Young. "I believe the death penalty is an appropriate sentencing consideration for the jury for these two defendants," states Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
January 2026
Gray Extradited — All Three in MCSO Custody
Jared Gray is extradited to Arizona from Georgia, where he had been held on a separate criminal matter. He makes his initial appearance before a judge. All three suspects — Hayes, Young, and Gray — are now in Maricopa County Sheriff's Office custody. Trial dates are pending.
03
Investigation
The Investigation
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office homicide unit led the investigation, supported by multiple agencies. The break in the case came through fingerprint evidence: Hayes' prints matched evidence MCSO had collected at the scene. From there, investigators worked backward through flight records, credit card data, cell phone records, and OfferUp account information to build the broader picture of how the murder was planned and carried out.
Court documents revealed a premeditated operation that began weeks before Mercedes' death. The Chevrolet Malibu used to transport and burn her body was purchased through a fake OfferUp account on March 17, 2023. Plane tickets for Hayes and Gray were purchased by Young using a credit card linked to his apartment. Investigators used IP address data and cell phone records to tie these purchases and the OfferUp account to the suspects. After the murder, Hayes and Gray flew back to Tennessee together the same day Mercedes' body was found.
The motive established by prosecutors connects directly to Mercedes' role as a witness against Young in the 2020 armed robbery case. Young was described by investigators as the suspected ringleader of a drug trafficking operation involving fentanyl distribution across multiple states, with enforcement involvement from the DEA, Tempe PD, Phoenix PD, Mesa PD, Homeland Security, and Salt River PD. The state has not offered Young a plea deal in the murder case because he has other criminal cases pending trial.
The investigation is described by MCSO as believed to be connected to other crimes and investigations involving multiple agencies, the full scope of which has not yet been disclosed publicly.
04
Arrest & Charges
The Accused
Sencere Hayes
Sencere Hayes
Age 23 — Chattanooga, Tennessee
Charges: First-degree murder and additional felonies
Arrested: November 2024 — Hamilton County, Tennessee — extradited to Arizona
Key Evidence: Fingerprints matched evidence at scene, flew to Arizona in March 2023 with Gray, flew back to Tennessee the day after the murder
Death Penalty: Being sought by Maricopa County Attorney's Office
Cudjoe Young
Cudjoe Young
Age 29 — Chattanooga, Tennessee — Previously Robbed Mercedes at Gunpoint
Charges: Conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, plus separate drug trafficking charges
Arrested: June 2025
Connection: Robbed Mercedes at gunpoint in 2020. She was scheduled to testify against him at the time of her murder. Used credit card to purchase plane tickets for Hayes and Gray to travel to Arizona in March 2023. Suspected ringleader of multi-state fentanyl distribution network.
Death Penalty: Being sought by Maricopa County Attorney's Office
Jared Demarcus Gray
Jared Demarcus Gray
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Charges: First-degree murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, hindering prosecution, arson, theft
Charged: June 2025 — Extradited from Georgia January 2026
Connection: Flew to Arizona with Hayes in March 2023. Linked by evidence to the scene where Mercedes was found. Left Arizona with Hayes the day after the murder. Told investigators he traveled for "business" but denied knowing Hayes or Young.
In Memoriam
She Is Not Forgotten
Mercedes Vega was 22 years old. She had been through something terrifying in 2020 and she did the right thing. She reported it. She identified the person who robbed her. She was willing to stand up in court and testify. That act of courage is what made her a target, and the people who killed her did so to silence her before she could take that stand.
Her parents Erika and Tom Pillsbury have been in the public eye throughout this case, speaking to reporters, showing up to court, building a memorial near the stretch of I-10 where she was found. Her mother described losing Mercedes as joining a terrible, horrible club. They have waited through every delay, every arrest, every new development. They have never stopped.
Three men are now in custody and facing trial. Two face the death penalty. Mercedes is not forgotten.
"Losing a child is — there's no words."
Erika Pillsbury, Mercedes' mother — November 2024
Sources
AZFamily / 3TV (multiple reports 2023–2025) | ABC15 | 12News | KTAR | Phoenix New Times | AZCentral | Maricopa County Sheriff's Office | Maricopa County Attorney's Office
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