PHOENIX (Court TV) — A man has admitted to killing a jogger who was found dead in 2023, in a plea deal that spares him the death penalty.
Zion Teasley (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
Zion Teasley, 25, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Lauren Heike, 29, whose body was found April 29 near a hiking trail close to her home. Investigators have said they believe she was killed the day before.
In documents reviewed by Court TV, investigators said that Heike’s body was found in the desert area behind a home; first responders who came to the scene described her as being in the early stages of decomposition. She was quickly identified after friends reported her missing when she failed to show up for work.
An autopsy revealed Heike had been stabbed 15 times in the upper body. The deepest wound was 3 inches, and investigators noted defensive wounds on her hands and forearms.
Surveillance video showed Teasley following the victim along the trail before both disappeared from view. “The suspect ran after Lauren and then sprinted away, before returning to the location where Lauren’s body was found and climbing over the barbed wire,” detectives said in an affidavit of probable cause.
DNA found on one of Heike’s shoes also matched Teasley, who had been on probation at the time of the attack after serving more than a year in prison for armed robbery and other felonies.
Lauren Heike was stabbed to death in Phoenix. (Phoenix Police Department)
“Zion spoke about his life growing up as a Christian and his internal struggle with his own sexuality. Zion was concerned about the salvation of his soul due to his thoughts,” investigators wrote about an interview with the defendant following his arrest. “When asked if he planned to murder Lauren, Zion replied, ‘I am definitely not the person who plans to kill another person.’ And, ‘If I was going to do something like that, it wouldn’t be premeditated.'”
When investigators spoke with Teasley’s boss, they learned he had recently been fired for being aggressive toward female employees and for suspected merchandise theft. Shown surveillance video from the day of the attack, the manager confirmed that the clothes Teasley wore matched items stolen from the store.
In a statement to KNXV after Teasley changed his plea, Heike’s family said, “We fully supported the State’s efforts to seek the death penalty, but we are in agreement with the plea offer made by the defendant. He offered to plead guilty to first-degree murder and accept a natural life sentence. While no sentence will ever bring Lauren back, we are relieved knowing that he will never be released. He will never again have the opportunity to harm another person or cause another family to experience the unimaginable grief and trauma that ours has endured.”
Court records list Teasley as a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps; a statement from the Marines clarified that Teasley entered recruit training in 2019 but separated before completing boot camp. No further details were offered for privacy reasons.
While Teasley’s plea agreement calls for him to spend life in prison, he will be formally sentenced at a hearing scheduled for Dec. 4.
