Six years ago, a series of armed robberies at a Phoenix strip club left dancers shaken. In 2023, one of the dancers, Mercedes Vega, who was a victim of robbery, was kidnapped and brutally murdered. She was found beaten, shot, and burned in a Chevrolet Malibu on a highway east of Phoenix. Bleach was poured down her throat, according to authorities.
Vega’s family believed the crimes were connected and waited over two years for answers. Now, authorities suspect that one of the suspects in Vega’s murder is the same man charged in her robbery case. Vega had identified Cudjoe Young as the masked assailant who robbed her at gunpoint outside her apartment building. Young was charged with armed robbery, pleaded not guilty, and was released on bond. Vega was set to testify about the robbery on the day she was found dead.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is recommending that Young be charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in Vega’s death. Two other suspects, Jared Gray and Sencere Hayes, have also been accused in connection with Vega’s murder.
Vega’s mother, Erika Pillsbury, expressed relief at the latest developments, saying, “We’ve felt like we’ve been drowning in a sea of despair and grief for two and a half years, and now we’ve been thrown a life preserver.”
Details about the connection between the suspects remain limited, but a probable cause statement pointed to a geographic link in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Young is from Chattanooga, while Hayes and Gray traveled from there to Phoenix. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the county attorney’s office are reviewing potential charges against Young, Gray, and Hayes.
The case involving the robbery is scheduled for trial on July 29, although it is unclear why the adjudication process has taken so long. Lawyers for Hayes and Young did not respond to requests for comment, and court records do not list an attorney for Gray. Gray denied ever having been to Arizona during an interview with authorities.
The incident involving Vega’s murder has brought a mix of fear and relief to those involved as justice may finally be served after years of waiting.
Mercedes Vega’s mother recounted that Vega attempted to unlock her phone using facial recognition, but was unsuccessful as the feature had not been set up. When the man demanded her to enter her PIN, Vega hesitated, according to Erika Pillsbury. The man then forcefully pushed Vega to the ground, threatened to kill her, and held a gun to her face. Eventually, Vega complied and the man proceeded to take her car keys, wallet, phone, and a bag containing a significant amount of money. After unlocking her phone, the man also stole more money via a cash transfer app.
Vega was deeply distressed by the incident, with Pillsbury mentioning that she became extremely jumpy and anxious. In response, Vega decided to relocate to a new apartment with what she believed to be better security measures, such as being on the second floor and having a parking garage access that required a key fob.
Tragically, three years later, Vega was last seen alive in that very parking garage.
There were reports from other dancers at Le Girls, the strip club where Vega worked, who claimed they had also been targeted by a masked man with a gun before and after Vega’s robbery. One former dancer, who did not know Vega well, believed she was targeted by the same individual after Vega described her attacker to her.
The former dancer shared an incident where a masked assailant held her at gunpoint in front of her aunt’s condo, stole her bag, and fled. She suspected that the gunman had followed her from the club and was familiar with her routine. Despite reporting the incident to the police, the dancer felt frustrated with the lack of follow-up and claimed that authorities did not thoroughly investigate the case.
The Scottsdale Police Department, responsible for investigating the robbery, stated that they conducted a thorough examination based on the information available at the time. However, no arrests have been made in connection to the robbery, leaving the victims feeling angry and let down by the lack of progress in the case.
Bolin indicated that investigators explored potential links between the case and others, but no connection was discovered based on the evidence available.
In November 16, 2020, a third dancer at the club was targeted. The dancer recounted an encounter with a masked man in the garage of her apartment building, where he approached her with a gun drawn. Despite additional witnesses confirming the incident, the woman did not provide any comments. Following this, dancers at the club remained vigilant, on the lookout for anyone matching the suspect’s description.
About a month later, a man fitting the description was spotted inside the club. Subsequently, the man was identified by the victim and arrested, though he denied involvement in the robberies but admitted frequenting the club.
The man was later charged in connection with armed robbery and attempted armed robbery cases, and released on bail.
On April 16, 2023, the victim had expressed hesitation about going out with a friend due to the high cost of transportation. Security footage captured her entering the garage, followed shortly by her car leaving simultaneously with another vehicle, which was later found to contain her body. Evidence suggested that the victim had been forcibly taken from the garage.
A fingerprint found in the victim’s car was later matched to Hayes, who had been arrested in Tennessee. Further investigation revealed that Hayes had traveled to Arizona with another individual before the victim’s death. Statements from witnesses implicated others in involvement with the victim’s vehicle.
Following the victim’s tragic death, Hayes and the other individual departed for Chattanooga. During subsequent interviews, they denied any knowledge of or association with the main suspect in the case.
Hayes mentioned that he was acquainted with Young from Chattanooga. According to the statement, he stated that he had traveled to Arizona for business but declined to disclose his travel companion. Hayes is set to stand trial in 2027.
