PHOENIX — The man accused of robbing and attempting to rob multiple women at gunpoint appeared before a judge Monday as his case has been delayed for years.
Cudjoe Young is charged with armed robbery and attempted armed robbery for allegedly targeting dancers from the same gentlemen's club back in 2020. He's accused of following them home and then pointing a gun at them while demanding their money.
One of the alleged victims is Mercedes Vega, who was murdered in 2023. Her murder remains unsolved.
“It's time for there to be some justice," said Erika Pillsbury, Vega's mother.
Saturday marked four years since Vega was robbed at gunpoint at her Phoenix apartment. She was 19 years old at the time.
“She was horrified and terrorized, and just scared for weeks and weeks and weeks," Pillsbury recalled.
A month later, one of Vega's colleagues was attacked in the same way. A man attempted to rob her.
Vega assisted police in finding the person responsible and they were led to Young.
RELATED: Mercedes Vega was cooperating in armed robbery investigation before being tortured, murdered
Four years later, the case is still making its way through the court system. Young has changed attorneys multiple times. On Monday, he appeared with his newest attorney who joined the case over the summer.
Attorneys Monday discussed a possible plea agreement. The state's attorney said Young previously was not interested in making a deal. It appears he has now changed his tune.
The state has given Young's defense team a Thanksgiving deadline to reach an agreement. Otherwise, the case will go to trial in January.
In the meantime, the Scottsdale Police Department has reopened a 2019 armed robbery case involving another one of Vega's former colleagues. The details are very similar. They're working with Phoenix PD, who investigated Vega's armed robbery case, to see if the cases are connected.
“Mercedes was very loved and very important and we miss her very, very much. She deserves justice," Pillsbury said.
Vega's mother provides update on murder investigation
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is investigating Vega's gruesome death. They declined to comment on a possible connection between the robbery and murder cases.
Young was out of custody wearing an ankle monitor at the time of Vega's death in April of 2023.
Last week, Pillsbury received an encouraging update from investigators.
“They're getting closer. They're certainly closer than that they were in the beginning and there was actually some confidence behind what he was saying," Pillsbury said. "Obviously not a date or who or anything like that, but we know that they are working on it. And I could hear that confidence in their voice that we're going to get there. We're going to we're going to find out who killed her and why she's not here anymore.”
As Pillsbury waits for justice for her daughter's death, she's advocating for justice for what happened to her while she was still alive.
“It has been four years since she was robbed and it's time for a conclusion to this," Pillsbury said.
