A Tennessee man charged in the brutal murder of an exotic dancer in Arizona has remained in an out-of-state jail for two months on an unrelated probation violation, baffling attorneys who question why he has not been extradited to Maricopa County.
Jared Gray, 25, is one of three defendants charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Mercedes Vega, whose burned, beaten body was found in a car west of Phoenix in 2023.
But unlike his two co-defendants, Gray is not awaiting trial in a Maricopa County jail. He is nearly 2,000 miles away, in Catoosa County, Georgia, where he has been incarcerated under the name “Jarred Gray” since his arrest in June on a probation violation connected to a 2022 theft charge that he pleaded guilty to, records show.
Gray’s probation was revoked last month, and he was ordered to serve the rest of his five-year sentence on the theft charge behind bars, a court order shows.
It is not clear how much time is left on that sentence. Nor is it clear why he has not been extradited to Arizona.
A spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment, saying it does not provide extradition information because of “security concerns.” The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case, referred NBC News to the sheriff’s office.
In response to an email seeking information about Gray’s extradition to Arizona, Travis Jordan, his attorney in the probation case, said: “Unfortunately, your email below is the first news I’ve heard as to Mr. Gray’s extradition status and I have no information relating to it.”
According to Deanna Reisman, the chief assistant district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which includes Catoosa County, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office placed a “hold” on Gray, allowing authorities in Arizona the chance to take him into custody prior to his release on the probation charge.
Reisman wasn’t sure how much time they have to make that arrest, nor did she know if officials in Maricopa County have sought Gray’s extradition. Her office typically only becomes involved in the process when a defendant fights extradition. Most do not, she added.
“Arizona can secure his presence in their courts for their charge(s) despite the defendant serving a sentence in Georgia,” she wrote in an email.
The Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Gray was charged with first-degree murder in Vega’s killing on June 20, two days after he was arrested on the probation violation. Because he is still in Georgia, he has not been arraigned on the charge, and court records in Maricopa County do not list a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
Stara Roemer, a former prosecutor in Dallas County, Texas, who is not involved in the case, said that if she were handling Vega’s murder prosecution, she would want Gray extradited immediately.
“I wouldn’t want to risk anything going sideways,” she said, noting that it is not unheard of for people in Gray’s situation to be released by accident.
Howard Snader, a longtime criminal defense attorney in Phoenix who is also not involved in the case, said: “I don’t understand why they wouldn’t him back here as quickly as possible. It’s a high-profile, brutal, horrific homicide.”
Gray’s co-defendants in Vega’s killing, Cudjoe Young and Sencere Hayes, were indicted last month on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, arson, armed robbery, conspiracy and theft. Hayes, 22, was charged with an additional count of hindering prosecution. They pleaded not guilty.
Authorities have not identified a possible motive. Vega’s family have said they believe the killing was intended to silence her.
Three years before her murder, Vega was robbed at gunpoint outside her Phoenix apartment building, and she later identified Young, 29, as the masked assailant, police records show. Vega was scheduled to testify on April 17, 2023, the day she was found dead, her mother said.
Authorities have not said how the three defendants are connected, but all have ties to Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant for Gray. Investigators have cited evidence connecting Young to the car that Vega’s body was found in, according to the affidavit, while fingerprints link Gray and Hayes to the murder, it says.
