{"id":1123,"date":"2026-05-26T17:34:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1123"},"modified":"2026-05-26T17:34:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:34:51","slug":"armed-robbery-trial-continues-for-man-accused-of-murdering-mercedes-vega","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1123","title":{"rendered":"Armed robbery trial continues for man accused of murdering Mercedes Vega"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX \u2014 A trial connected to the brutal murder of a 22-year-old woman continues Tuesday morning in Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Read more With thousands of Southern California residents still evacuated due to damaged chemical tank, here is how close it was to a disaster<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Cudjoe Young is accused of robbing Mercedes Vega at gunpoint in 2020, years before being charged for her death.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Court resumes Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Maricopa County Superior Court. Depending on what happens, the court could hear closing statements as early as today.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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This trial is expected to wrap up by the end of this month, and today we could find out if Young will testify before it’s over.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Prosecutors say Young robbed Vega at gunpoint outside her Phoenix apartment in 2020, three years before she was murdered. While Young is one of three men charged with her death, this robbery trial is being handled separately.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The trial began about two weeks ago, and prosecutors have presented a lot of evidence against Young. The jury has already seen body-cam video, cell phone data, Cash App records and surveillance footage.<\/p>\n

Read more Indiana university admin who was fired over Charlie Kirk social media post will get $225,000 in settlement<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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According to prosecutors, Vega identified Young to police before her 2023 murder. The state believes Young murdered Vega to keep her from testifying against him in the robbery case.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Young\u2019s attorneys claim he is innocent. However, two weeks ago, prosecutors shared in court exactly what Vega told police in 2020 right after she was robbed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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“He came at me with a gun,” prosecutor Jennifer Linn said in court, reading Vega’s statement. “He told me to unlock my phone and give my phone to him and he took my bag. She\u2019ll repeatedly say, \u2018He has my phone. He was waiting for me.\u2019”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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We will keep you updated on what happens as the trial continues.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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>> Download the\u00a012News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Read more 2 dead bodies found at separate locations in Marana may be connected<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 A trial connected to the brutal murder of a 22-year-old woman continues Tuesday morning in Phoenix. 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