Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a man accused of murdering a 29-year-old woman on a hiking trail in Phoenix in April, according to a report.
The Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday filed a notice of intent 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 on April 29 outside a neighborhood near Scottsdale Road and Mayo Boulevard, just south of Loop 101, a semi-beltway that surrounds the Phoenix metropolitan area in central Arizona, azfamily reported. com.
Heike was chased before being stabbed 15 times in the back and chest, according to court documents.
Teasley, 22, was arrested several 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 wounds were consistent with a pocket knife that Zion was known to carry, the outlet reported.
Teasley had just been released from prison five months earlier and disturbingly 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 on May 4 by the Phoenix Police Department and surveillance video was released showing a man near the area where Heike’s body was found, abc15 reported.
The dead woman’s heartbroken parents, Jeff and Lana, said in a statement that they supported the prosecutor’s decision to seek the death penalty.
The Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty for Zion Teasley, who allegedly ambushed and repeatedly stabbed 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 ensure Lauren receives justice,” they wrote.
“As we move into our first holiday season without Lauren, our hearts continue to break as her life is cut short by the violent actions of another person. However, we want Lauren to be remembered for the beautiful and kind person that she was. We are hopeful and happy to know that one day we will be reunited with Lauren.”
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a man accused of murdering a 29-year-old woman on a hiking trail in Phoenix in April, according to a report. Maricopa County Superior Court
Teasley, who was indicted in May on one count of first-degree murder, previously pleaded not guilty to the murder.
A Maricopa County prosecutor previously said Teasley was released from prison in November 2022 after being found guilty 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.
Lauren Heike, 29, fought off her killer when she was attacked on April 28, police said. Facebook / Lana Heike
Authorities said the murder suspect had been fired from a recent employer for being “aggressive toward female employees” and was “suspected of stealing merchandise.”
Teasley enlisted in the Marine Corps, but the US Marine Corps said he did not complete the training, according to the abc15 report.
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