Documents shed light on what led up to Arizona woman’s murder

PHOENIX — The man accused of murdering Mercedes Vega and the man accused of robbing her at gunpoint are connected, according to newly obtained search warrant records.

Vega was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in April of 2023. She was only 22 years old.

Her case remained unsolved until November of 2024 when Sencere Hayes, 22, was arrested and charged with her murder. He lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was linked to the murder after he was arrested on unrelated charges. His fingerprints matched evidence obtained by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Search warrant records, though, show Hayes could not have acted alone.

The 9-page affidavit for the search warrant was for American Airlines information as detectives worked to learn more about how Hayes traveled from Tennessee to Arizona.

The documents reveal his plane ticket was purchased with a credit card that belonged to a person who rented an apartment to Cudjoe Young. 

Young, also originally from Tennessee, was arrested and accused of robbing Vega at gunpoint in 2020 and she was scheduled to testify against him when she was killed. He is not facing any charges in connection to her death. He was wearing an ankle monitor at the time and detectives said he was not in the area of the homicide.

The records show that the flights were purchased in early March of 2023. Then, on March 17, Young’s friend created an OfferUp account using a fake name to buy a Chevrolet Malibu.

Police say it’s the same Malibu that was burned with Vega’s body inside.

MCSO detectives used OfferUp records, an IP address and cell phone records to uncover that development.

Records also shed new light on exactly what happened to Vega the night of April 16, 2023.

Around 9:15 p.m., surveillance footage from Vega’s apartment complex shows her walking to her car. It’s the last time she was seen alive.

The documents say the Malibu was seen in the same parking garage about 30 minutes prior.

Vega’s blood was found in her parking spot and in the front passenger area of her car, showing she had been physically assaulted, injured and kidnapped.

Both Vega’s car and the Malibu were then seen exiting the garage at the same time.

Around 9:25 p.m., video shows Vega’s car being abandoned near Culinary Dropout in Tempe and the Malibu is then seen leaving the area.

Hours later, it was found on fire near the I-10 freeway near Tonopah with Vega’s body inside. Also inside the vehicle were two bottles of bleach, lighter fluid and latex gloves.

But it was evidence from Vega’s car that turned out to be critical.

Records show a fingerprint was collected from a bloody grocery bag. MCSO did a search of law enforcement databases, but it yielded negative results at the time.

Just over a year later, when Sencere Hayes was arrested in Tennessee, his fingerprints were taken and a match was confirmed by the MCSO Crime Lab.

Search warrant records show the same credit card used to purchase Hayes’ flight from Tennessee also bought additional flights, leading detectives to believe “an unknown co-conspirator may have traveled on one of these airlines.”

A spokesperson for MCSO released the following statement regarding the search warrant records:

“MCSO is still actively and intently investigating the death of Mercedes Vega, which occurred on 4/17/2023. One arrest has been made, 22-year-old Sencere Hayes of Tennessee, and other investigative leads are being investigated. It is believed this incident is in relation to other crimes/investigations, with multiple agencies, that Investigators are not yet ready to disclose additional information due to the complexity and delicate nature of the case and other cases. However, the information released through the Maricopa County Superior Courts, is official MCSO documents.”

Hayes appeared in court on Thursday morning and is due back in court on April 15. Vega’s parents are asking the public and supporters of their fight for justice to show up if they can.

They’ll also be creating a memorial for Vega near the I-10 where her body was found.

The deadline for prosecutors to decide whether they will seek the death penalty against Hayes has been extended to May 14.

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