Lauren Heike murder: Suspect in case facing new charges

PHOENIX - The man accused of killing a woman in 2023 is now facing new charges.

The victim, identified as 29-year-old Lauren Heike, was killed along a hiking trail in North Phoenix.

Suspect facing sex crimes allegation

The suspect in Heike's murder, identified as 24-year-old Zion Teasly, is now facing 10 new felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

What we know:

According to investigators, Teasley said he knowingly distributed or received child pornography in 2019 and 2020. Teasley has appeared in court on the new charges.

As for the Heike murder, police accuse Teasley of stabbing Heike 15 times in the desert near 64th Street and Mayo Boulevard. Per our May 2023 report on the case, security cameras in the area recorded Heike and the suspect walking along the same path within a short time frame around the time of the murder.

"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," read Teasley's probable cause statement.

Detectives discovered that Teasley had been fired from his job for being "aggressive toward female employees" and for being suspected of stealing products.

Dig deeper:

Records show this is not the first time Teasley faced legal trouble.

In August 2024, we reported that aggravated assault and burglary charges were filed against Teasley for a January 2020 attack against another woman. The case also involved a knife, but the victim survived.