Man Charged in Murder of 22-Year-Old Woman Found Dead in Burning Car Is Extradited to Arizona

A man charged in the killing of 22-year-old Mercedes Vega, who was found dead inside a burning car in Arizona in April 2023, has been extradited from Georgia to face charges, according to court records and media reports.

Jared Gray, who is charged with first-degree murder and other offenses, was extradited to Arizona this week and booked in the Maricopa County Jail, the county sheriff’s office said, KPNX reported.

His attorney Jeremy Bogart, of the Maricopa County Office of the Legal Defender, declined Us Weekly’s request for comment on Friday, January 9.

Gray’s extradition comes about a month after Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that her office is seeking the death penalty against two other men charged in Vega’s death: Sencere Hayes and Cudjoe Young.

Hayes, 23, and Young, 29, are also charged with first-degree murder, according to the attorney’s office.

“I believe the death penalty is an appropriate sentencing consideration for the jury for these two defendants,” Mitchell said of both men on December 3. “We will continue to pursue justice for Mercedes Vega and her family.”

Attorneys separately representing Hayes and Young did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Us.

In April 2023, Vega was kidnapped from her apartment parking garage in Tempe, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, KNXV-TV reported.

Authorities said her body was later discovered in a burning car along Interstate 10, near Tonopah, according to the TV station.

A medical examiner’s report reviewed by KNXV-TV revealed Vega had been shot in her arm and had blunt force injuries. Bleach was also found in her throat, according to the report.

Ahead of her death, Vega was supposed to testify against Young in an armed robbery case in which she was the victim, AZ Family reported, citing court records.

In 2020, Young was accused of holding Vega at gunpoint and robbing her.

Before she was killed, Young allegedly purchased plane tickets for Hayes and Gray, 26, so they could fly to Arizona from Tennessee, AZ Family reported.

In December, Vega’s parents, Tom and Erika Pillsbury, welcomed Mitchell’s plan to pursue the death penalty for Young and Hayes, according to KSAZ-TV.

“It’s very hard to feel the emotions of pain, anger and happy all in the same emotion,” Tom said at the time.

Erika, according to the TV station, said that she believes it “will be the best situation that we can have for justice.”

In addition to her parents, Vega was survived by her four sisters, her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, according to her online obituary.

Vega was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 10, 2001, the obituary says.

“She quickly established her place in this world as a considerable energy,” the obituary reads. “She made a substantial impact on everyone she encountered.”

Described as having a “huge heart” the obituary also says that Vega “was successful at everything she set out to do.”

“She did not apologize for who she was, and yet was always uplifting and encouraging those around her.”