A man from Tennessee facing charges for the violent murder of an exotic dancer in Arizona has been held in an out-of-state jail for two months due to a separate probation violation, leaving attorneys puzzled as to why he hasn’t been transferred to Maricopa County.

Jared Gray, 25, along with two others, is facing charges of first-degree murder in the death of Mercedes Vega, whose body was discovered burned and assaulted in a car west of Phoenix in 2023.

However, unlike his co-defendants, Gray is not waiting for trial in a Maricopa County jail. Instead, he is nearly 2,000 miles away in Catoosa County, Georgia, where he has been detained under the name “Jarred Gray” since his June arrest for a probation violation tied to a 2022 theft charge to which he admitted guilty, according to records.

Gray’s probation was revoked last month, and a court order indicates he was sentenced to complete the remainder of his five-year imprisonment for the theft charge.

It is not clear how much time is left on that sentence. Nor is it clear why he has not been extradited to Arizona.

A representative for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office refrained from commenting, noting that they do not disclose extradition details due to “security concerns.” The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, handling the prosecution, directed NBC News to the sheriff’s office.

In an email response concerning Gray’s extradition to Arizona, Travis Jordan, his lawyer in the probation matter, stated: “Regrettably, your email below is the initial notification I’ve received about Mr. Gray’s extradition status, and I lack any information regarding it.”

According to Deanna Reisman, the chief assistant district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which includes Catoosa County, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office placed a “hold” on Gray, allowing authorities in Arizona the chance to take him into custody prior to his release on the probation charge.

Reisman wasn’t sure how much time they have to make that arrest, nor did she know if officials in Maricopa County have sought Gray’s extradition. Her office typically only becomes involved in the process when a defendant fights extradition. Most do not, she added.

“Arizona can secure his presence in their courts for their charge(s) despite the defendant serving a sentence in Georgia,” she wrote in an email.

The Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.

Gray was charged with first-degree murder in Vega’s killing on June 20, two days after he was arrested on the probation violation. Because he is still in Georgia, he has not been arraigned on the charge, and court records in Maricopa County do not list a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.

Stara Roemer, a former prosecutor in Dallas County, Texas, who is not involved in the case, said that if she were handling Vega’s murder prosecution, she would want Gray extradited immediately.

“I wouldn’t want to risk anything going sideways,” she said, noting that it is not unheard of for people in Gray’s situation to be released by accident.

Howard Snader, a longtime criminal defense attorney in Phoenix who is also not involved in the case, said: “I don’t understand why they wouldn’t him back here as quickly as possible. It’s a high-profile, brutal, horrific homicide.”

Gray’s co-defendants in Vega’s killing, Cudjoe Young and Sencere Hayes, were indicted last month on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, arson, armed robbery, conspiracy and theft. Hayes, 22, was charged with an additional count of hindering prosecution. They pleaded not guilty.

Authorities have not identified a possible motive. Vega’s family have said they believe the killing was intended to silence her.

Three years before her murder, Vega was robbed at gunpoint outside her Phoenix apartment building, and she later identified Young, 29, as the masked assailant, police records show. Vega was scheduled to testify on April 17, 2023, the day she was found dead, her mother said.

Authorities have not said how the three defendants are connected, but all have ties to Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant for Gray. Investigators have cited evidence connecting Young to the car that Vega’s body was found in, according to the affidavit, while fingerprints link Gray and Hayes to the murder, it says.