A thief has been formally accused of murdering a stripper found brutally beaten, shot, and set on fire on the day she was to testify against him in court for previously robbing her at gunpoint.
Cudjoe Young, aged 29, faces charges of murder, kidnapping, and arson for the death of Mercedes Vega, a 22-year-old exotic dancer from Phoenix, whose charred body was found in a burned-out car by an Arizona highway in 2023, reported NBC News.
Years prior, Vega had identified Young as the perpetrator of an armed robbery at her Phoenix apartment building on October 12, 2020, during which she was threatened by a masked assailant after finishing her work shift.
Young was ultimately charged with armed robbery and Vega was due to testify against him in that case the day she was found dead.
On April 16, 2023, Vega was kidnapped from her apartment building’s garage and subsequently discovered beaten and burned in the back of a blazing Chevy Malibu on the highway before the next morning’s sunrise, according to police reports.
Authorities said that bleach had been poured on her face and down her throat.
Two additional dancers from Vega’s club were similarly targeted for robberies by a suspect fitting Young’s profile. He faces robbery charges in one incident and has entered a plea of not guilty.
In November, police arrested 22-year-old Sencere Hayes, 22, on a first-degree murder charge for the horrific killing.
Young faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, arson, theft, and armed robbery with a deadly weapon, and is being detained without the possibility of bail. Hayes was recently indicted on the same charges as Young, along with hindering prosecution, and remains in custody with a $4 million bond.
Young’s trial on the robbery charges was scheduled to begin Tuesday — but he’s since fired his attorney and opted to represent himself, causing a delay.
A third suspect, Jared Gray, has also been charged with murder in the case and was awaiting extradition to Arizona from Georgia, where he is being held on unrelated charges, according to jail records.
