Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing a 29-year-old woman on a Phoenix hiking trail in April, according to a report.
The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office filed a notice of intent Friday to seek the death penalty for Zion Teasley, who is accused of ambushing and repeatedly stabbing Lauren Heike, according to abc15.com.
The woman’s body was found April 29 outside a neighborhood near Scottsdale Road and Mayo Boulevard, just south of the Loop 101, part of the belt that circles the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in central Arizona, azfamily.com reported.
Heike was chased before being stabbed 15 times in the back and chest, according to court documents.
Teasley, 22, was arrested days later at a nearby apartment complex after DNA and cellphone location data linked him to the crime, according to the report.
Detectives found his DNA on Heike’s shoes.
Heike’s injuries were consistent with a pocket knife Sion was known to carry, the outlet reported.
Teasley had just been released from prison five months earlier and told detectives he wanted to look like Heike, suggesting he may have been stalking her before the attack, according to reports.
Teasely was arrested on May 4 by the Phoenix Police Department, surveillance video released showing a man near the area where Heike’s body was found, abc15 reported.
The dead woman’s parents, Jeff and Lana, in a statement said they supported the prosecutor’s decision to seek the death penalty.
The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office filed a notice of intent Friday to seek the death penalty for Zion Teasley, who is accused of ambushing and repeatedly stabbing Lauren Heike, according to abc15.com. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
“We know that our journey through the criminal justice system is just beginning, but we will be there every step of the way to make sure Lauren receives justice,” they wrote.
“As we go through our first Christmas season without Lauren, our hearts continue to break as her life was cut short by the violent actions of others. However, we want Lauren to be remembered as a beautiful and kind person. We have hope and find joy in the knowledge that one day we will be reunited with Lauren.”
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing a 29-year-old woman on a Phoenix hiking trail in April, according to a report. Maricopa County Superior Court
Teasley, who was indicted in May on a charge of first-degree murder, previously pleaded not guilty to the murder.
The Maricopa County District Attorney previously said Teasley was to be released from prison in November 2022 after being convicted of armed robbery, robbery and disorderly conduct, abc15 reported.
The convictions stemmed from multiple incidents with multiple victims that occurred in May, June and July 2020, according to court documents, the station said.
Lauren Heike, 29, was fighting her killer when she was attacked on April 28, police said. Facebook / Lana Heike
Authorities said the murder suspect had been canned from the employer recently for being “aggressive towards female employees” and “suspected of stealing goods.”
Teasley enlisted in the Marines, but the US Marine Corps said he did not complete training, abc15 reports.
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