Convicted felon, 22, appears in court charged with brutal ‘premeditated murder’ of beautician, 29
A convicted felon has appeared in court on charges of murdering a beautician who was stabbed multiple times on an Arizona desert hiking trail.
Zion William Teasley, 22, appeared in Maricopa County Court on April 28 after being charged with the murder of 29-year-old Lauren Heike.
Prosecutors say he committed the attack “with premeditation” and has been linked to the crime scene by DNA evidence.
Teasley was released from prison in November after being sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in June 2020 to robbery with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct and robbery.
He has been charged with violating his probation and with first-degree murder, which means he could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Zion William Teasley, 22, appeared in Maricopa County Court on April 28 after being charged with the April 28 murder of Lauren Heike, 29
Lauren Heike, 29, was walking the Reach 11 trail not far from her home in Phoenix when she was attacked and killed. Her body was found the next day
During his first trial, he was given $1 million cash bail for the offense, but was taken into custody without bail in connection with the murder charge.
Prosecutors told the court there was “photographic evidence” linking him to the crime, adding that people who knew him identified him as the person in the surveillance footage released by police.
A chilling clip showed a lone figure sprinting down the path from the direction where Heike’s body was found.
Lawyers confirmed that DNA evidence also linked him to the crime, as well as telephone evidence and “circumstantial evidence.”
The court heard several people he works with knew he had a knife that they say was “consistent with the murder weapon.”
Prosecutors also confirmed that he posed a flight risk and had purchased a plane ticket departing Thursday night for Detroit.
Teasley remained silent during the ten-minute hearing, speaking only to confirm his name and date of birth.
He was charged with several counts of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and third-degree burglary.
Her boss, Brian Thorne Troon North Golf Club, where she worked as a server, said they are all saddened by Heike’s death and described her as a nice person.
Heike moved to Arizona from Washington, was loved and left a lasting impression, according to those who knew her
Footage created by Telemundo Arizona showed officers handcuffing Teasley as he was placed in a police car
Ten charges were dropped after he entered a plea deal with prosecutors, dropping some of the more serious crimes.
Teasley spent 16 months in Eloy’s Red Rock Correctional Facility before being released in November.
Sources told local media she was stabbed “several times” and police tracked down the suspect after finding his DNA at the scene.
He was arrested at his home in Scottsdale, less than a mile from the trail where Heike’s body was found.
Before appearing in court, Sergeant Melissa Soliz said: “Detectives are serving a search warrant at the man’s apartment and he was taken into custody at around 6:30pm tonight.
Police have not confirmed whether Teasley knew Lauren, but confirmed at a hearing that the incident was ‘premeditated’
Photos of Teasley’s arrest were taken by Telemundo, as the suspect sat on the sidewalk quietly talking to police
“At this point, he is the person we believe is responsible for or connected to the murder of Lauren Heike.
“It will take our detectives a while to sift through all this evidence, process it, collect it, and hope to have more answers later.
“Now that this man has been taken into custody, I can tell you that he is the same person who was featured in the video clip we shared with all of you a few days ago.
“With this information, we hope the community can rest a little tonight knowing this person is off the streets.”
Heike previously worked as an esthetician for Admire Medical Aesthetics in Washington before moving to Arizona.
The charge against Teasley comes a day after Heike’s father, Jeff Heike, paid tribute to his daughter by saying, “She was my little girl.” I’m really going to miss her.
Phoenix police responded to what was described as a “desert area” near 6500 East Libby Street on April 29 after receiving a report of an injured person.
Heike’s mother said in tears: ‘As difficult as this is for us, we are grateful that we have had such a beautiful child. We will love her every minute we are on this earth”
A reward of up to $2,000 was offered for any information related to the case
Heike’s parents Lana and Jeff tearfully said they just want justice for their daughter
The area isn’t far from Heike’s apartment, which Zillow says is in an upscale area of North Phoenix with homes on the market for up to $1.3 million.
Loved ones said they just want justice for Heike, who they described as a “beautiful” person inside and out who loved sports and being outdoors.
Her mother, Lana, described her daughter as a beautiful, kind-hearted woman who was sweet to everyone she met.
“As difficult as this is for us, we are thankful to have had such a beautiful child,” she said. “We will love her every minute we are on this earth.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Phoenix Police Department. To remain anonymous, call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377) or 480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446). You can also leave a tip at silentwitness.org.
A reward of up to $2,000 was offered for any information related to the case.