Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a man accused of murdering a 29-year-old woman on a Phoenix hiking trail in April, according to a report.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office filed a notice of intent Friday to seek the death penalty for Zion Teasley, who allegedly ambushed and repeatedly stabbed 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 Loop 101, a semi-beltway looping around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in central Arizona, azfamily.com reported.
Heike was chased before being stabbed 15 times in the back and the chest, according to court documents.
Teasley, 22, was arrested several days later in 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 Zion was known to carry, the outlet reported.
Teasley had just been released from prison five months earlier and eerily told detectives he wanted to look like Heike, suggesting he may have been stalking her before the attack, according to a report.
Teasely was arrested May 4 by the Phoenix Police Department, surveillance video was released showing a man near the area where Heike’s body was found, abc15 reported.
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The dead woman’s heartbroken parents, Jeff and Lana, said in a statement they supported the prosecutor’s decision to seek the death penalty.
“We know that our journey through the criminal justice system is just beginning, but we will be there every step of the way to ensure that Lauren receives justice,” they wrote.
“As we make our way through our first Christmas season without Lauren, our hearts continue to break over her life being cut short by the violent actions of another. However, we want Lauren to be remembered for the beautiful and kind person that she was. We have hope and find joy in the knowledge that we will someday be reunited with Lauren.”
Teasley, who was indicted in May on a first-degree murder charge, previously pleaded not guilty to the slaying.
A Maricopa County prosecutor previously said Teasley was released from prison in November 2022 after being convicted of armed robbery, robbery, and disorderly conduct, abc15 reported.
Those convictions stem from multiple incidents with multiple victims that occurred in May, June, and July 2020, according to court documents, the station said.
Authorities said the murder suspect had been canned from a recent employer for being “aggressive toward female employees” and was “suspected of stealing merchandise.”
Teasley enlisted in the Marines, but the U.S. Marine Corps said he did not complete training, according to the abc15 report.
