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Has been updated: May 5, 2023 11:28 AM
Zion William Teesley is accused of murdering Lauren Haike. (Photo by Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Phoenix Police Department)
PHOENIX — The man accused of murdering Lauren Heike during a walk near her North Phoenix residence has been identified as 22-year-old Zion William Teesley.
Phoenix police announced arrests in the high-profile case Thursday night, but did not release the name of the suspect until Friday morning.
Teesley was incarcerated on first-degree murder and probation violation charges.
Court records show that Heike was stabbed 15 times and may have been chased over or through a barbed wire fence before being killed.
Police used DNA evidence collected at the scene and surveillance video to identify Teesley as a suspect, according to the statement of probable cause of the arrest.
He was recently fired for being aggressive towards a female employee and is accused of stealing merchandise, according to a statement.
Teasley was released from prison six months ago after serving time as part of a multi-felony plea bargain, according to Department of Corrections and court records.
Teasley days first court appearance On Friday morning, a judge set $1 million bail on murder charges and ordered Teasley to be held without bail for probation violations. The judge said even if Teasley posted bail in the murder case, he would not be released if his probation was still in effect.
Teasley was not legally represented at the first appearance on which the terms of his detention were set, and the judge said he would be assigned a public defender. chose not to.
Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Prosecutor Ryan Green said Teasley had a plane ticket to Detroit when he was arrested.
A situation meeting on the murder case was set for May 11, and a preliminary hearing was set for May 15.
Heike, 29, was found dead in a desert area near a hiking trail around 10:45 am on Saturday. She lived near her 66th Street and Mayo Boulevard, about 800 m (0.5 mi) from where she was murdered.
Police said she was walking near 65th and Libby Street on Friday when she was attacked, but her body was not found until the next day.
Shortly after a nearby resident reported finding the body, a friend of Heike’s called the police to report that Heike did not show up for work on Saturday.
A short surveillance video released by police on Tuesday night showed people fleeing the area.
Heike’s parents appeared at a press conference on Wednesday asking for the help of the public to find the suspect.
Teasley was taken into custody around 6:30 p.m. Thursday at an apartment complex where he lives off Bell and Scottsdale roads, less than two miles from the scene of the crime. Police said he was the person on the surveillance video.
According to arrest reports, Teesley served in the Marine Corps.
According to records available online, Teesley recently served time after pleading guilty to armed robbery with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct with a weapon, and robbery.
He was released from Red Rock Correctional Center in Eloy on November 13, 2022, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry. inmate record.
He was arrested in July 2020 and faced 13 felony counts, including five counts of kidnapping, in multiple cases between May and July of that year. Maricopa County Superior Court RecordsHe pleaded guilty to three charges in June 2021 and the others were dismissed.
