Overview

• On July 29, a Maricopa County grand jury charged Cudjoe Young, 29, with first-degree murder, kidnapping, arson, theft and armed robbery in the April 2023 killing of exotic dancer Mercedes Vega
• Young is held without bond and will be arraigned August 1 alongside co-defendant Sencere Hayes, who was indicted July 24 on the same counts plus hindering prosecution and is held on $4 million bail
• Authorities allege Young orchestrated Vega’s abduction and the transfer of the Chevrolet Malibu where her beaten, shot and burned body was found
• Investigators have linked Hayes and Jared Gray to the crime through fingerprints found on a grocery bag in Vega’s car and a plastic cup at the burn scene
• Gray remains in Georgia on unrelated charges as officials work to secure his extradition and warn additional arrests or charges could emerge as the trial approaches