TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — New forensic analysis in the tragic Mercedes Vega murder case reveals the young woman was attacked in her apartment complex parking garage the day before her body was discovered burning in a car in April 2023. This disturbing detail adds a crucial layer to the timeline of events surrounding her death.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has confirmed a significant breakthrough: blood found in the parking garage, adjacent to Mercedes Vega’s designated parking spot, has been definitively matched to her. This forensic evidence substantiates the theory that Vega was violently attacked in what should have been the safety of her own apartment complex.
This new information paints a clearer picture of the horrific events. It confirms that Mercedes Vega was attacked and seriously injured within the parking garage of The Aubrey apartments in Tempe, mere moments after she was last seen alive on surveillance footage walking towards her car. This video footage represents the last known sighting of Vega before her untimely death.
For Vega’s parents, Erika and Tom Pillsbury, these incremental revelations offer a mixture of renewed grief and cautious hope. They believe that each piece of evidence uncovered brings them closer to seeing justice served for their daughter. However, this agonizing process unfolds as they simultaneously navigate another legal battle – a separate court case where Mercedes Vega was a victim of a crime years prior to her murder. In both instances, her parents are determined to be her voice.
“Based on the way the car was parked and where the blood splatters were located, my belief is that she was turned away from the vehicle, in the process of opening her car door, and the attacker struck her from behind,” explained Tom Pillsbury, Vega’s father, offering a chilling possible scenario of the assault.
In the immediate aftermath of Mercedes Vega being found burned alive in a car off Interstate 10 near Tonopah, her parents revisited The Aubrey apartments in Tempe, meticulously retracing their daughter’s last known steps.
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Erika Pillsbury recounted discovering a bloody tennis shoe print at the parking garage crime scene. Initially, she hoped it wasn’t related to Mercedes, as her daughter often favored heels or flip-flops. However, their hopes were dashed when they reviewed the surveillance footage capturing Mercedes walking to her car in the parking garage on April 16, 2023. Erika’s worst fears were realized.
“I saw she was wearing tennis shoes. [That] completely further confirmed to me that it was her blood,” Erika stated, her voice heavy with emotion.
The MCSO confirmed that Mercedes Vega’s body was discovered the following day, miles away from her apartment, inside the burning vehicle. The subsequent autopsy revealed the horrific extent of the violence inflicted upon her: blunt force trauma, a gunshot wound, and the presence of bleach in her throat, as detailed by Vega’s parents previously sharing the autopsy findings.
The parking garage, now confirmed as the initial attack site, was chosen by Vega and her parents specifically for its perceived safety.
“We purposefully went to The Aubrey because we felt it was safe, and because her apartment wasn’t on the first floor,” Erika explained, highlighting their efforts to ensure her daughter’s security.
This move to The Aubrey apartments was prompted by a prior traumatic incident. In October 2020, according to a Phoenix Police report, Mercedes Vega was the victim of an armed robbery. A man named Cudjoe Young held her at gunpoint and stole her belongings.
Erika Pillsbury was called to the scene immediately after the robbery. “She was shaking uncontrollably, so terrified. I took her home. She requested that the police remain present until we had physically driven away from the location,” Erika recounted, her voice breaking with tears as she recalled her daughter’s fear.
Phoenix Police apprehended and charged Cudjoe Young with armed robbery after Mercedes Vega positively identified him in a photo lineup.
Before her tragic death, Mercedes Vega had prepared a victim impact statement for the armed robbery case against Young.
“She read the statement to me. I know the way she spoke it, the emphasis she placed on certain words, and what she truly wanted to convey,” Erika shared, emphasizing her deep connection to her daughter’s words.
Despite Vega’s murder, the armed robbery case involving Cudjoe Young remains active and continues to be delayed in court.
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Currently, the trial is tentatively scheduled for early October. Regardless of whether the case proceeds to trial or concludes with a plea agreement, Erika Pillsbury is resolute in her decision to read Mercedes Vega’s victim impact statement aloud in court, directly to the suspect. She is determined to be her daughter’s voice in this legal process.
“She sounded so incredibly strong in her statement, and I will draw strength from her words to read it. He will be forced to sit there and listen to them,” Erika asserted. “Mercedes will be right there with me; I know it.” The next status hearing in the armed robbery case is scheduled later this month.
Cudjoe Young was arrested in November of the previous year in connection to an unrelated Tempe narcotics operation and has remained in custody since.
The MCSO has stated that, at this time, there is no established link between Cudjoe Young and Mercedes Vega’s murder. They confirmed that while Young was not in custody at the time of Vega’s death, he was wearing an ankle monitor.
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