A third individual linked to the killing of an Arizona woman in 2023 has been transferred from Georgia to face legal proceedings.
Jared Gray is being charged with nine offenses, one of which is first-degree murder, related to the demise of Mercedes Vega. Vega’s body was discovered in a car set ablaze on Interstate 10 close to Tonopah in April 2023, according to KSAZ.
The autopsy revealed she had suffered blunt force trauma and a gunshot wound to her arm, and bleach was found in her throat. The cause of death was determined to be smoke inhalation, as reported by CrimeOnline.
In late 2024, Sencere Hayes was apprehended in Tennessee in connection with the murder, and last year, Cudjoe Young was also charged, NBC News reported.
Vega was scheduled to provide testimony against Young in an armed robbery trial when she was kidnapped from the parking garage of her apartment and subsequently killed.
Prosecutors in Maricopa County have announced their intention to pursue the death penalty for both Young and Hayes; however, a decision regarding Gray has not been reached yet.
Gray is being held on a $4 million bond and is expected in court next week for arraignment.
