This browser does not support the Video element.
Cudjoe Young sentenced to several years in prison
Cudjoe Young was sentenced for robbery on June 26, and is accused of killing a witness, Mercedes Vega, before trial. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi reports.
PHOENIX - Cudjoe Young, the man convicted of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery involving two exotic dancers, was sentenced by a Maricopa County judge Friday.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the armed robbery charge, and 9 years for the attempted robbery charge. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
What we know:
One of those victims was Mercedes Vega, who was murdered before she was set to testify in the case. Prosecutors allege Young killed her to prevent her from taking the stand.
On Friday, June 26, Young returned to court, where a judge handed down the sentence after a jury found the 30-year-old guilty of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery involving two exotic dancers in May.
Court records show Vega identified Young in a photo lineup before she was killed.
Mercedes Vega: Parents support death penalty in case of daughter murdered in burning car
Maricopa County prosecutors have announced they will seek the death penalty for Sencere Hayes and Cudjoe Young, the two men accused of the April 2023 murder of 22-year-old Mercedes Vega, who was found shot in a burning car.
What they're saying:
In 2023, Vega’s body was found inside a burning Chevrolet Malibu along Interstate 10 near Tonopah. The medical examiner determined she had been shot, forced to ingest bleach and died from smoke inhalation.
Prosecutors say Young arranged airline tickets for two men, Sencere Hayes and Jared Gray, who are also accused of carrying out Vega’s murder.
Mercedes Vega’s mother, Erika Pillsbury, read aloud the exact words her daughter was going to testify with in Court before her death.
"The defendant should indeed be monitored 24/7 and receive maximum sentencing," Pillsbury said of her daughter's words. "I say this not only for my safety but the safety of others."
Vega’s family said the sentence is just the first step toward justice.
"No matter how many times the defendant tries to rewrite the truth, he needs to know that there are consequences for what he cant talk his way out of," Pillsbury said.
Young is set to go on trial next year for the murder of Vega. Prosecutors say he faces the death penalty in that case.
"I'm ready for it," Vega's father, Thomas Pillsbury, said. "I'm ready for him to be held accountable. We spent six years to get to this day. So if it takes another six years, I'm not going anywhere."