Lauren Heike, according to the Phoenix Police Department, a suspect has been apprehended in connection with her death. Zion William Teasley, 22, was arrested on Thursday and charged with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing Heike, whose body was discovered on April 29 in a desert area in the northeastern part of the city.
Heike had been reported missing by a friend after failing to show up for work on April 28, prompting a welfare check at her home. After police received a report of an injured individual in the vicinity of 64th Street and Mayo Boulevard, Heike’s body was found by authorities. Police identified Heike on May 1.
Police traced evidence back to the suspect
According to court records, an autopsy found Heike suffered 15 stab wounds to her upper body, with the deepest laceration being 3 inches deep. Evidence and Heike’s belongings were found along a path running through a barbed wire fence to where Heike’s body was discovered, court documents detail. Heike had defensive wounds and small abrasions that were likely from her running through a barbed wire fence.
According to court documents, on April 28 at around 10:52 a.m., Lauren Heike was captured on surveillance video walking on a trail with a man following 36 seconds behind her. After about 22 seconds, Heike disappeared from the camera’s view in the direction where she was later discovered. Shortly afterward, the same man was observed sprinting before he was obstructed from view by vegetation. Roughly one minute later, the suspect was seen again, this time running in the opposite direction before attempting to cross a barbed wire fence and disappearing from view.
A shoe found near the fence that Heike had discarded was discovered to contain DNA that matched Zion William Teasley’s. Police also tracked Teasley’s cell phone signal, which was found to have been present in the area where Heike was murdered, and the phone’s movements correlated with the direction that the person on the surveillance footage had taken, according to charging documents.
As per court documents, Teasley was recognized as the suspect in the surveillance footage by his colleagues, who stated that Teasley used to carry a pocket knife that matched the size of Heike’s wounds, as per the charging documents.
On the morning of May 3, Teasley had a meeting scheduled with his probation officer, who told the police that the headphones in the suspect’s photos matched the ones Teasley wore to that meeting, according to the court documents. While the probation officer did not confirm that the video footage was of Teasley, he noted that the person’s build and profile resembled Teasley’s.
Teasley was apprehended around 6:30 p.m. Thursday at his residence in Scottsdale, according to police. During the interrogation, Teasley initially confirmed that he was the individual seen in the surveillance video but later retracted his statement, claiming uncertainty about the photographs presented, as per the charging documents.
As per court documents, Teasley shared that he grew up in a Christian family but struggled with his sexuality and feared for his soul’s salvation due to his thoughts. Charging documents mention that Teasley recognized Heike from media reports on her killing and expressed a desire to look like her.
Teasley could not recollect if he had met Heike in person, court documents state. Investigators asked Teasley if he intended to kill Heike, to which he replied that he wasn’t someone who plans to kill another person and that it wouldn’t be premeditated if he ever did so. However, during Teasley’s court appearance, the judge stated that the murder might have been premeditated, and prosecutors confirmed that he lived near the area where Heike’s remains were discovered. The prosecutors also confirmed that Teasley had a plane ticket to Detroit.
According to court records, Teasley was released from prison in November 2022 and was on probation at the time of Heike’s death. Court records show that in 2021, he was convicted of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, robbery, and disorderly conduct.
Moreover, investigators found that Teasley had been fired from his job for being aggressive with female employees and was suspected of stealing court documents state.
He is being held on a $1 million bond, according to records, and will be assigned an attorney. His next court date is May 15.
Loved ones remember Heike
Lana Heike, Lauren’s mother, described her daughter as a beautiful, kindhearted woman who was sweet to everyone she met.
According to Heike’s mother, although her daughter’s friendly personality worried them about her being too trusting, they cherished her for who she was. “We wouldn’t want to change that personality because that’s the person we loved,” she said.
One of Heike’s close friends, River Hubbel, revealed that he spoke to her on the morning of April 28, just before she went for the fateful hike. He mentioned that they had a routine with another friend where they shared what they were grateful for each day. Hubbel remembered that on that day, Heike expressed gratitude for waking up positive and being able to enjoy a cup of coffee and a walk. Hubbel couldn’t hold back his emotions while recounting this memory.
Source: AZCentral
