Arizona man admits to fatally stabbing female hiker 15 times, says he ‘wanted to look like her’
He was dealing with issues internally.
A man admitted that he “wanted to look” like the woman he fatally stabbed multiple times on a hiking trail in Arizona in broad daylight. He later told police that he was struggling with his sexuality as a Christian at the time of the murder.
In 2023, 25-year-old Zion Teasley attacked 29-year-old Lauren Heike on the Reach 11 trail in Phoenix, Arizona. Court records said Heike sustained 15 stab wounds on her back and chest, and several “superficial abrasions,” in addition to the wounds found on her hands and forearms when she tried to defend herself, per Law&Crime.
Heike’s body was found after a male friend, whom she was supposed to hike with, tracked her phone to the area of 65th and Libby Streets, behind a resident’s home. Heike’s personal belongings and blood were scattered around the crime scene, and it is believed she was chased or tried to climb a barbed-wire fence.
Arizona stabber says he was struggling with his identity
Teasley initially faced the possibility of the death penalty, but his guilty plea during an Oct. 2 plea hearing removed it from the table, prosecutors said, per KNXV. Heike’s family supported the decision to forgo the trial, stating that it is a “tremendous sense of relief in knowing that we will be spared that additional trauma.”
During his interrogation, Teasley spoke to police about his upbringing as a Christian, focusing especially on his emotional turmoil in coming to terms with his sexuality. “[Teasley] spoke about his life growing up as a Christian and his internal struggle with his own sexuality. [Teasley] was concerned about the salvation of his soul due to his thoughts,” police said.
In a 400-page police report obtained by ABC 15, Teasley reportedly wrote in his diary that he was “battling with my gender identity and sexuality” and that he struggled to “maintain a good Christian mindset 24/7.” Another entry showed that he wrote, “I want to live a life of serving [God], but how can I with these and other sins in the way?”
Teasley allegedly couldn’t stand seeing ‘beautiful’ women
When presented with a photo of Heike, Teasley claimed he couldn’t recall ever meeting her, though he acknowledged recognizing her “from the news.” But according to the affidavit, he later told police that he “wanted to look like her.”
Teasley reportedly also admitted that he felt depressed at seeing “beautiful” women while he remained stuck being a “man.” His former employer alleged that Teasley has a history of being “aggressive” towards female employees.
Whether these had any bearing on Teasley’s decision to murder Heike, however, remains unclear. He later told police that if he was going to murder a person, “it wouldn’t be premeditated.”
Meanwhile, surveillance footage showed Teasley stalking Heike before pursuing her and stabbing her with a pocketknife. He jumped over the fence to escape, but police found DNA on Heike’s shoes that matched Teasley’s, who was on probation at the time of his arrest after serving a year for armed robbery and other offenses.
Teasley is set to appear for his sentence hearing on Dec. 4, and faces up to life in prison.
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