Prosecutors in Phoenix are seeking the death penalty for a man accused of fatally stabbing a 29-year-old woman on a hiking trail in Arizona.
The Maricopa County District Attorney's Office filed the notice of intent Friday around 5 p.m. – a move that the family of the late Lauren Heike “supported” seven months after the brutal murder.
Zion Teasley, 22, is accused of stabbing the beautician 15 times in the back and chest after chasing her on the Reach 11 trail in broad daylight in April.
A well-placed camera filmed the suspect following Heike and eventually returning to the area where her body was found before jumping over a fence. Police officers who had previously found Heike said she had been “chased through or over a barbed wire fence.”
Teasley, a former inmate with a criminal record dating back to 2020, was quickly arrested — five months after serving a three-year sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon.
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Police claim the 29-year-old woman (pictured) who was found dead on the Reach 11 trail was chased over a barbed wire fence which tore her clothing
Police tracked down Teasley using a DNA sample in their system that came from a felony conviction. Pictured: Teasley is arrested by police in Phoenix, Arizona on May 4th
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The Heike family issued a statement after the Maricopa County District Attorney's Office expressed its intention to seek the death penalty for the accused murderer.
“We received word this afternoon that the MCAO has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty for Lauren’s murder,” Lana and Jeff Heike wrote.
“Our family supports MCAO’s decision and we are grateful for the work of MCAO and Phoenix PD.”
The couple added of Teasley's upcoming trial: “We know our journey through the criminal justice system is just beginning, but we will be there every step of the way to ensure Lauren receives justice.”
The move to impose the death penalty comes months after Teasley pleaded not guilty to murder. Teasley had only given up his list of crimes after just four months, when he left Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego.
He was indicted by a grand jury back in May, four years after he first completed military training.
At the time, investigators revealed how they had linked Teasley to the crime through DNA found on Heike's shoe – as well as forensic evidence such as cell phone location data that further linked him to the crime scene.
They also told Phoenix residents that when Teasley was picked up, he menacingly told detectives, “He wanted to look like Heike,” suggesting he had seen her at some point before the attack.
However, Heike's family insisted that their daughter did not know her attacker – strengthening police's belief that she had been targeted on the trail by Teasley.
Heike, 29, was killed after being stabbed 15 times in the back and chest. Police said she fought off her attacker and ran away before collapsing
Teasley, 22, appeared in Maricopa County Court after being charged April 28 with the murder of 29-year-old Lauren Heike
Heike's parents Lana and Jeff – seen here at a Phoenix police news conference in May after Teasley was charged in May – had previously said they just want justice for their daughter
She was found dead on the Reach 11 trail on April 28, prompting police to launch a week-long manhunt for her killer
After Teasley was filmed, a reward of up to $2,000 was offered for any information related to the case. He remains in custody after officials decided he should not be released because he was already on probation for his previous conviction
A probable cause affidavit later revealed that the alleged killer had recently been fired from his job at a nearby sporting goods store for behaving “aggressively” toward female employees – further supporting investigators' yet-to-be-proven account.
They claim Heike, who was found dead on the Reach 11 trail, was chased over a barbed wire fence as she worked tirelessly to escape her attacker.
In expressing this theory, investigators cited how they found the woman's belongings scattered along the path and several rips in her clothing.
DNA matching Teasley's was also found on a shoe that Heike threw away as she attempted to climb the fence. The suspect was later filmed returning there and hopping over it after allegedly committing the murder.
Cell phone records also allegedly located Teasley at the crime scene, supplementing the DNA and video footage.
In his indictment, prosecutors expressed their belief that Teasley knew his behavior could result in injury or death and said the DNA match came from a sample obtained from a previous felony conviction.
Maricopa County officials further said the murder charge is considered a “dangerous felony” because Teasley repeatedly used a knife to injure the beautician, stabbing her 15 times in her body and hands.
Teasley was identified in surveillance footage by his probation officer and his former employer, who confirmed to police that the accused killer regularly carried a pocket knife that matched the murder weapon. Pictured: Teasley during his arraignment on May 4
Police said Heike collapsed after escaping her attacker and died from the stab wounds. They believe that she was stalked after somehow attracting Teasley's attention, and that her attempt to escape may have been a reason why it took more than a day for her body to be found
In addition to first-degree murder, he was also charged with violating the terms of his probation agreement, which he agreed to after his release from prison in November.
The term, which began about 36 months earlier, resulted in a guilty plea to robbery with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct and robbery in June 2020, court records show.
A year before Teasley filed, Teasley dropped out of Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego, a Marine Corps spokesman confirmed.
Teasley was identified in surveillance footage by his probation officer and his former employer, who confirmed to police that the accused killer regularly carried a pocket knife that matched the murder weapon.
His probable cause affidavit also stated that when officers arrested Teasley, he also identified himself as the man in the footage before telling officers that he recognized Lauren from the news and “wanted to look like her.”
He further claimed he was “on his way to a nearby movie theater” when he crossed the path near Libby Street and Mayo Boulevard and admitted to officers that he knew Lauren had been attacked, ” but found it difficult to admit that she was murdered.”
When asked if he had intended to kill Lauren, he told officers: “I'm definitely not the person who plans to kill another person.”
He added: “If I did something like that, it wouldn't be premeditated.”'
At his first court appearance, he was given a $1 million bond for the violation but was remanded without bail.
Images of Teasley's arrest were captured by Telemundo, with the suspect sitting on the sidewalk and speaking calmly to police. He allegedly told investigators he wanted to look like Heike, implying that he had seen her before carrying out the attack
Heike's mother said through tears: “As hard as it is for us, we are grateful because we had such a beautiful child.” We will love her every minute that we spend on this earth.
In support of this decision, prosecutors told the court that there was “photographic evidence” linking him to the crime.
Today Teasley remains in custody after officials decided he should not be released because he was already on probation for a previous conviction.
Heike's family, meanwhile, recalled in their statement how she had just spent her first Christmas without her daughter, who police say had somehow caught the killer's attention.
“As we live through our first Christmas without Lauren, we continue to be heartbroken that her life was cut short by the violent actions of another person,” the couple, who had previously called for the death penalty for Teasley, wrote Friday.
“However, we want Lauren to be remembered as the beautiful and kind person that she was,” they added, as a trial date for Teasley has yet to be announced.
“We have hope and joy knowing that one day we will be reunited with Lauren,” the statement continued. “We ask for your prayers and privacy during this time.”
has contacted the Maricopa County District Attorney's Office for details.