Sencere Patrick Hayes, 22, of Washington Hills, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States allegedly took part in the murder of Mercedes Marianna Vega. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska, United States on March 10, 2001.
Vega had plans to become a personal trainer and open a gym. Before achieving that goal, she worked as an exotic dancer at Le Girls Gentlemen’s Club in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA while living in an apartment in Phoenix.
What did Cudjoe Young do to Mercedes Vega?
At around 4:30 a.m. on October 12, 2020, Vega was returning to her apartment in Phoenix when Cudjoe Young, then 24, of Tempe, Maricopa County pointed a handgun at her and stole her bag, car keys and cellphone. On November 16, 2020, he unsuccessfully tried to rob her fellow Le Girls Gentlemen’s Club dancer, a resident of Scottsdale, Maricopa County.
On December 15, 2020, Young was arrested at his residence in Tempe. He was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault after Vega identified him in a photo lineup.
On December 17, 2020, Bail Bonds USA held Young post his $30,000 bond. He was released and required to comply with a curfew and have an ankle monitor installed to track his location.
However, Young did not have an ankle monitor installed until September 2021. If he rejects a plea deal during a settlement conference in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix on December 18, 2024, he will face a trial that will start on January 13, 2025.
Why was Sencere Hayes arrested?
After being robbed by Young, Vega moved to the house of her parents Thomas Pillsbury and Erika Pillsbury in San Tan Valley, Pinal County, Arizona. Later, Vega moved to another apartment on the second floor of The Aubrey, a luxury apartment complex off Parkside Drive and Washington Street in Tempe.
At around 9:15 p.m. on April 16, 2023, Vega was seen walking toward her white Dodge Charger in the parking garage of The Aubrey. That was the last time she was seen alive.
At around 12:30 a.m. on April 17, 2023, Vega was found dead in the backseat of a burning Chevy Malibu on the shoulder of Interstate 10 near Tonopah, Maricopa County. The car had a salvage title.
According to Vega’s autopsy, she had been beaten and shot before she was burned. On April 18, 2023, her white Dodge Charger was found illegally parked near the Culinary Dropout restaurant by First Street and Farmer Avenue, which is around 1.5 miles south of The Aubrey.
On May 15, 2024, Hayes was arrested after he exchanged gunfire with another person in Chattanooga. He was charged with theft of property, possession of a handgun while under the influence, possessing a firearm with intent to go armed and driving under the influence.
On June 2, 2024, Hayes was arrested after striking another car while driving a white vehicle 94 miles per hour on wet roads on Highway 58 in Tennessee. He was charged with reckless driving, speeding and driving without a license.
On November 11, 2024, Hayes turned himself in at the Hamilton County Jail in Chattanooga. He was arrested by deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
On November 24, 2024, Hayes was extradited from Tennessee to Arizona. On November 25, 2024, he appeared before a judge in Maricopa County.
Bond for Hayes was set at $2 million. On December 4, 2024, he will be back in court.
CONAN Daily 