A man told police ‘That’s what I would want to look like’ about a Phoenix hiker, and years later pleaded guilty to her murder

A guilty plea has closed out the criminal case over the 2023 death of a hiker on a north Phoenix trail. According to KTAR, Zion Teasley admitted to first-degree murder in the killing of Lauren Heike, 29. She had been stabbed 15 times and had injuries to her hands and forearms, and her body was found in April 2023 in the Reach 11 area. The plea comes more than three years after the killing.

A Maricopa County Superior Court spokesperson told the station, “The plea calls for natural life in prison.” Prosecutors had formally given notice in January 2024 that they would seek capital punishment, and the agreement removes that option. Teasley had originally denied the charge in May 2023. The sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 4. At that hearing, the court is expected to impose the term laid out in the agreement.

Heike’s family said the agreement spares them a trial. “While no sentence will ever bring Lauren back, we are relieved knowing that he will never be released,” they said in a statement. They added that the outcome means no other family will have to endure what theirs has, and the statement described the case as stretching across 3½ years.

What investigators say happened on the trail

Investigators believe Heike was probably chased across a barbed-wire fence before she died, according to police documents. Surveillance video and DNA connected Teasley to the crime. A DNA profile taken from Heike’s shoe came back to Teasley through a criminal database, and an arrest followed within days. Heike lived near Scottsdale Road and Mayo Boulevard, about half a mile from where she was found.

A 400-page police report released in 2025 covers the questioning of Teasley. When detectives showed footage from the trail, Teasley responded, “That’s me. I think is it? I don’t know.” Asked about Heike, Teasley said, “That’s what I would want to look like.” At that stage, the trial had been pushed back to January 2027, so the plea means the case will not go before a jury. The motive is not known.

According to a probable cause statement, not long before the killing, Teasley lost the job over aggressive behavior directed at female coworkers and was suspected of stealing merchandise. Arizona’s sentencing statute for murder, A.R.S. 13-751, names death and imprisonment for natural life as sentences a court can impose for first-degree murder. Under this agreement, the death penalty is off the table, and a life term without release is the expected outcome once the judge sentences Teasley.

Crime victims and their families in Maricopa County can reach the County Attorney’s Victim Services Division, which handles notification of court dates, court advocacy and help with the state’s victim compensation program.