Suspect in Mercedes Vega case extradited to Arizona on first-degree murder charges

On November 25, 2024By Pranco

PHOENIX (AZFamily) – A man taken into custody in Tennessee has been extradited to Arizona to face murder charges in the killing of a young Tempe woman, Mercedes Vega who was found burned alive in the western desert of the Valley in 2023.

Sencere Hayes, 22, was arrested in Hamilton County, Tennessee.last week.

Hayes appeared in court Monday in Maricopa County charged with first-degree murder. The judge confirmed bail at $2 million.

Sencere Hayes (left), 22, was arrested in Hamilton County, Tennessee, in connection with the... — Sencere Hayes (left), 22, was arrested in Hamilton County, Tennessee, in connection with the death of Mercedes Vega (right) in Tempe.(Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department)

According to court records, Hayes was arrested twice in Tennessee in the past year.

In May, he was charged with theft and possession of a firearm. A month later, he was charged with reckless driving, speeding, driving without a license, driving under the influence and having a gun while under the influence.

Both incidents occurred after Vega’s gruesome murder more than 1,700 miles away.

Vega was not only murdered, but rather tortured she was found burning in a car along Interstate 10 near Tonopah on April 17, 2023.

Officials say Hayes is the first of several arrests expected in the case.

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