Mercedes Vega was found dead the same day she was meant to testify against the masked man she believed had been stalking dancers at her club. That man is now suspected in her murder.
The string of armed robberies that began six years ago had left dancers at a Phoenix strip club shaken. In 2023, that fear became tragic reality when Mercedes Vega — one of the victims — was kidnapped and killed. Her body was discovered burned, beaten, and shot in the back seat of a Chevrolet Malibu on a highway east of Phoenix. Investigators said bleach had been poured down her throat.
Vega’s family long believed the attacks were connected. After more than two years of waiting, authorities now say the man charged with robbing Vega in 2020 — Cudjoe Young — is also suspected of orchestrating her murder.
According to police reports, Vega had identified Young as the masked man who robbed her at gunpoint outside her apartment. He was charged with armed robbery, pleaded not guilty, and was released on bond. Vega was scheduled to testify against him the same day she was found dead.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has now recommended charges against Young for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with Vega’s death.
For Vega’s mother, Erika Pillsbury, the development offered a sense of hope. “We’ve felt like we’ve been drowning in a sea of despair and grief for two and a half years,” she said. “Now we’ve been thrown a life preserver. The people that are responsible for murdering my little daughter are hopefully going to face justice.”
Two other men have also been charged in Vega’s death. Jared Gray faces counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and theft. He remains in custody in Georgia on unrelated charges. Another suspect, Sencere Hayes, was charged in November 2023 with the same crimes. He pleaded not guilty.
Court records revealed a geographic link: all three suspects have ties to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Young is from there, and Gray and Hayes traveled from Chattanooga to Phoenix before the killing.
Authorities have not disclosed how the suspects knew one another. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the County Attorney’s Office have declined to comment on the case. Young’s robbery trial is scheduled for July 29, 2025.
A Terrifying Encounter Close to Home
Vega’s nightmare began on October 12, 2020, when a masked gunman ambushed her as she parked outside her Phoenix apartment. According to police, he demanded her belongings and tried to unlock her phone using facial recognition. When that failed, he ordered Vega to enter her PIN. She hesitated.
“He shoved her to the ground, told her he’d kill her and held the gun to her face,” Pillsbury said.
Vega eventually complied, handing over her phone, keys, wallet, and a bag with hundreds of dollars. The thief then used a cash transfer app to steal more money.
The trauma deeply affected Vega. Her mother said she became jumpy and quickly moved to a more secure apartment with a locked parking garage. That same garage would be the last place she was seen alive.
Other Dancers Reported Similar Attacks
Vega wasn’t alone. At least two other dancers from Le Girls said they had been targeted after their shifts by a masked gunman. One woman, who didn’t know Vega well, said she realized they were likely attacked by the same person after hearing Vega’s description of her assailant — a tall man wearing a hoodie, gloves, and a ski mask.
That dancer said she was robbed outside her aunt’s home in Scottsdale on November 2, 2019. She pounded on the door so hard afterward that her knuckles bled.
She told police she believed the gunman had followed her from work and asked investigators to check the club’s security footage. She never heard back. Police later said there was no conclusive evidence linking the incidents.
Another dancer, targeted on November 16, 2020, described a similar attack. She was approached by a masked gunman in the parking garage of her Scottsdale apartment building. He fled when another car pulled in.
Dancers at Le Girls grew anxious. Just a month later, a club manager spotted a man matching the attacker’s description at the club. Vega confirmed his identity as her assailant, and police arrested Young later that day. He denied any involvement but admitted visiting Le Girls frequently. He was charged and released after posting nearly $50,000 bond.
Taken Against Her Will
On April 16, 2023 — the night she was supposed to hang out with her friend Jelena Gamboa — Vega changed her plans.
“Uber is $60,” she texted. “I might just go to work then. I feel like it’s a sign I shouldn’t go.”
At 9:17 p.m., security footage showed her walking into her parking garage. Two minutes later, her Dodge Charger and the Malibu in which she was later found dead exited the garage together. Blood found in the garage and her abandoned car nearby suggested she had been assaulted and kidnapped.
A grocery bag in Vega’s car held a fingerprint that would later match Hayes after his arrest in Tennessee. Authorities also discovered that Hayes and Gray had flown to Arizona in March 2023 — a month before the murder — using a credit card linked to Young. Two witnesses told investigators Young had paid them to pick up the Malibu used in the crime.
A fingerprint found inside the Malibu was traced to Gray. After Vega was killed, both Hayes and Gray returned to Chattanooga by bus the next day. Gray denied ever being in Arizona. Hayes admitted knowing Young but refused to say who he traveled with.
Hayes’ trial is set for 2027.
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