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NBC News
08-08-2025
- NBC News
Suspect repeatedly reversed course on plea deals in robbery of Arizona dancer he is accused of killing, documents show
The Arizona man accused of targeting exotic dancers in gunpoint robberies and brutally killing one of the victims years later repeatedly reversed his decision on plea deals in the robbery cases, including one that would have reduced the charges to a low-level felony with little prison time, court documents show. In 2021, Cudjoe Young, 29, turned down an agreement to plead guilty to disorderly conduct and serve 2½ years in prison followed by probation, according to a joint pretrial statement obtained by NBC News. Weeks later, Young reversed himself and told prosecutors he wanted the deal, according to the statement. He ultimately rejected the offer during a court hearing. For more on this case, listen to the Dateline: True Crime Weekly podcast. Young faces a maximum prison sentence of 36 years combined in connection with charges of armed robbery in October 2020 and attempted armed robbery the following month, according to the statement. The statement does not indicate what prompted the reversals. Young, once described by his lawyers as an aspiring professional football player, also stands accused with two co-defendants in a horrific murder plot that targeted one of the robbery victims, Mercedes Vega. Vega was found beaten, burned and shot in an abandoned car on an interstate outside Phoenix on April 17, 2023, less than two years after Young rejected the plea. Young has pleaded not guilty in both cases, which are ongoing. A co-defendant in the murder case, Sencere Hayes, has pleaded not guilty. A third defendant in that case, Jared Gray, has not been arraigned. Authorities have not identified a motive in the killing, but Vega's family has said they believe it was to silence her. Vega, 22, had been scheduled to appear at a court hearing in the armed robbery case on the day she was found dead, according to her mother, Erika Pillsbury. Vega's parents have said she might still be alive if the robbery cases hadn't been repeatedly delayed and if she had been better protected while she waited to testify. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to comment. In a motion filed last week, the deputy county attorney prosecuting the robberies pointed to a recent effort by Young to change attorneys in the those cases and accused him of 'a calculated effort to manipulate the court into postponing his trial.' 'It has been almost five years since the crimes alleged in this case and justice has been continually denied,' the prosecutor wrote. Aaron Reed, a lawyer for Young, declined to comment, noting that the pleas were offered before he became Young's attorney. Reed also would not comment on the delays, but in a filing he called the prosecutor's allegations 'off base and false.' The pretrial statement shows that Young rejected three plea offers between August 2021 and last December. On Jan. 27, 2022, roughly a month after he rejected the disorderly conduct charge, he reversed himself and said he wanted the deal, according to the statement. 'With an agreement reached we asked Judge Beresky to fit us in for a change of plea after lunch,' the statement says, noting that all parties arrived to the hearing after the break. 'Defendant again rejected the plea,' the statement says. Another proposed agreement would have reduced the charges to attempted armed robbery with a maximum prison sentence of 3½ years. Young initially indicated he would accept the offer, according to the statement, but needed time to get his affairs in order. He later rejected the plea during a court hearing, the document states. Prosecutors' final offer came on Dec. 18, 2024, nearly two years after Vega's death: in exchange for pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, he would serve 7½ years in prison, according to the statement. 'No settlement was held because Defendant didn't believe it would be fruitful,' the document states. Trial for the two robbery cases was scheduled for last month, but the proceedings were delayed after Young asked for his lawyer to be removed. He initially planned to represent himself, the former lawyer said, though the defendant appeared at his arraignment for murder charges last Friday with Reed, a private attorney who is representing him on the murder and robbery cases. Court documents, police reports and interviews show that three dancers who worked at Le Girls, a Phoenix strip club, told authorities that a masked gunman robbed them or tried to rob them after they finished working a late shift between November 2019 and November 2020. Young was charged in two of the cases, including Vega's. No suspect was identified in the third case. Vega's family has said that after she was robbed, she left her Phoenix apartment building for what she believed was a more secure home in nearby Tempe. Authorities have said she was violently abducted from the parking garage of that new building on the night of April 16, 2023. Vega was found hours later in the back of a Chevrolet Malibu on Interstate 10 near Tonopah, roughly an hour west of Phoenix, after a motorist reported seeing a burning car. A medical examiner's report listed Vega's cause of death as conflagration, blunt force and ballistic injuries. The report noted the smell of bleach in her throat. A probable cause statement in the case alleges that after the Malibu was bought through an online seller, Young paid two people to pick it up. Authorities have also suggested that he may have bought his co-defendants' plane tickets to Arizona from Tennessee, where Young is originally from.
NBC News
02-07-2025
- NBC News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial live updates: Jury meets to deliberate again after reaching partial verdict
What to know about the trial Deliberations enter their third day today after jurors reached a partial verdict yesterday afternoon. The jury told the judge yesterday that they reached a verdict on four counts against Combs but could not decide on the racketeering charge. Their note to the judge said there were jurors with "unpersuadable views." Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has vociferously denied the allegations against him. This live briefing may include graphic descriptions of sexual violence. For resources on sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline. Sign up for the 'Diddy on Trial' newsletter for key developments and analysis; listen to the podcast ' Dateline: True Crime Weekly ' for daily coverage.
NBC News
13-03-2025
- NBC News
Family hoping trial is final chapter in getting justice for Megan McDonald, who was murdered in March 2003
homicide of Megan McDonald, a courtroom in Goshen, New York, was called into session this week for the murder trial of Edward Holley. Megan's body was found on a narrow dirt path on March 15, 2003, in Wallkill, New York. The cause of death was blunt force trauma, with multiple fractures to the skull. Holley, who had previously dated Megan, has pleaded not guilty. He was first arrested in April 2023 — just one month after the 20-year anniversary of Megan's murder. At the time, Holley was incarcerated for an unrelated case. However, a week later, he was released from custody because his sentence had been served in that case and Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said protocol wasn't followed in Megan's case. In an email to NBC News, Hoovler said police had arrested Holley without consulting his office and that he hadn't pursued charges against Holley because investigators hadn't gathered enough evidence. Nearly a year later, in January 2024, Holley was indicted by an Orange County grand jury for second-degree murder. Following that announcement, Megan's family filed a complaint against Hoovler with the judicial oversight body that investigates allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. The complaint alleged, among other things, that Hoovler tried to stymie the investigation, and failed to disclose that, prior to becoming district attorney, he once represented a suspect in Megan's killing. In response to NBC News' request for comment about the allegations, Hoovler replied via email that the suggestion that he or anyone in his office sought to tamper with or compromise the investigation was 'inaccurate, unfair and offensive.' Following Holley's indictment, Hoovler recused his office from the case and asked that a special prosecutor be assigned. Attorney Julia Cornachio was appointed to the case. Holley's trial began this week in an Orange County courthouse. On Monday, March 10, prosecutors delivered an opening statement postulating that Holley had lied to investigators through multiple interviews over the years, including about what car he was driving and where he was the night of the murder. They stated that the injuries Megan sustained showed anger and rage on the part of her killer, suggesting a personal connection to the victim. In its opening statement, the defense pointed to an alternate suspect -- one of Megan's ex-boyfriends. They told jurors the prosecution would present a 'parade' of witnesses, and cautioned them to weigh the quality of the evidence, not the quantity. On Monday afternoon and Tuesday, the prosecution began its case, calling witnesses that included Megan's mother, one of the people who found Megan's body, and multiple investigators from the early stages of the investigation. Court is not in session on Wednesdays. The trial is expected to last more than a month. On Thursday, March 13, Andrea Canning featured Megan's story and the ongoing trial on the Dateline: True Crime Weekly podcast. In the days leading up to this trial, Megan's family provided a statement to Dateline through their attorney, John Beatty. 'Our family will always grieve the tragic loss of our beloved Megan and we will carry the pain of losing her in such a brutal and senseless manner for the rest of our lives,' it reads. 'We want to make it clear that our focus throughout this process is in seeking justice for Megan and ensuring that the person responsible for her murder is held accountable.' They stated that they trust the legal system to provide answers and a fair trial. 'This journey has been incredibly difficult for all of us, but we are grateful for the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the New York State Police, supporting agencies and special prosecutors, who have worked tirelessly to bring us to this point,' the family's statement reads. John Beatty provided a statement of his own on behalf of his office, saying, in part, that their hearts remain heavy with grief for the family's loss of Megan. 'I want to express our unwavering confidence in the legal process,' he wrote. 'We trust that the presiding Judge and the dedicated team of special prosecutors will present the evidence to the jury with the utmost professionalism, integrity, and fairness and we appreciate the hard work of the jurors who shall see this evidence and render a just verdict.' Megan's family is hoping this trial will be the final chapter in their two-decades-long fight for justice. 'We look forward to this trial as the final chapter, knowing that justice for Megan will finally be served,' the family statement reads. 'We are optimistic that this case can serve as a beacon of hope for other families, especially those in older cases, still seeking justice for their loved ones.'
