The case surrounding the brutal 2023 killing of 22-year-old Mercedes Vega just took a serious turn as new indictments were filed, revealing chilling details of what investigators believe happened. Cudjoe Young was officially indicted on July 24 in Maricopa County Superior Court on charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, arson, and armed robbery, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Also named in the indictment is Sencere Hayes, who was arrested back in November 2024. Hayes is now facing the exact same charges as Young in connection with Vega’s murder. There’s a third suspect involved as well, but their name has been redacted in the documents.
So far, it’s unclear whether any of the suspects have entered pleas, and PEOPLE hasn’t been able to confirm if they have legal representation. However, one detail that stands out — Young apparently told the court on Tuesday, July 29, that he plans to represent himself in the upcoming proceedings, according to AZ Family.
The crime itself is beyond disturbing. Court documents say that on April 16, 2023, Vega was kidnapped from the parking lot of her Tempe home. The next day, her body was discovered in a car that had been set on fire. Investigators said the medical examiner found she’d suffered blunt force trauma, had been shot, and that bleach had been poured down her throat. On top of all that, AZ Family reports that the cause of death was smoke inhalation — meaning she was still alive when the car was lit on fire.
It wasn’t just a random act of violence. According to court documents cited by multiple outlets, including NBC News and AZ Central, Vega was scheduled to testify the same day she was found dead. She was supposed to take the stand in an armed robbery case involving Young — a case stemming from an incident back in October 2020, when she claimed Young robbed her at gunpoint after she got off work at a Phoenix strip club.
Investigators now allege that Young orchestrated her murder to keep her from testifying. He allegedly paid two people to handle the car in which Vega was found, and court records connect him to plane tickets purchased for the other suspects, per NBC News and AZ Central.
The emotional weight of the case gets even heavier when you read Vega’s obituary. She wasn’t just a name in a headline. She was a straight-A student, a violin player, and someone who, according to loved ones, “always stood up for others and protected those who could not protect themselves.”