Arizona man admits stabbing hiker 15 times, told police she was ‘what I would want to look like’

An Arizona man has described what led him to stab a hiker 15 times while she was on a trail. Zion Teasley, 25, a troubled former Marine recruit who was transitioning to live as a trans woman, admitted to killing hiker Lauren Heike, 29, in Arizona. When police asked him about his motive, Teasley said, “she was what I would want to look like.” Under an agreement that eliminated the death penalty, Zion Teasley pleaded guilty in court to first-degree murder on Friday, October 2, for the death of Lauren Heike, a beauty technician. According to a 400-page police report, before the killing Teasley wrote in his diary that he was “battling with my gender identity and sexuality,” which he believed conflicted with his Christian faith. “I want to live a life of serving god, but how can I with these and other sins in the way,” wrote Teasley, whom his lawyer referred to as “she” in court. “[I know] I am forgiven for my sins, but it’s still a lot of pressure and it’s hard to maintain a good Christian mindset 24/7.” He said seeing “beautiful” women made him depressed because he was stuck being “a man.” Heike’s murder drew international attention after she was found stabbed more than a dozen times not far from her apartment on April 28, 2023. Police arrested Teasley days later; at the time, he was on probation after serving a year in prison for armed robbery and other offenses. In his first interview with police, he denied having seen Heike anywhere except on the news. He then told officers, “That’s what I would want to look like.” Video surveillance showed Teasley following Heike, whom he did not know, before he pursued her, used a pocket knife to kill her, and fled by jumping a fence. Investigators said they linked Teasley to her death through DNA on Heike’s shoe and other forensic evidence, including cellphone location data. Police believed Heike fought off her attacker and escaped, but her injuries were too severe. Teasley’s boss told police he had recently been fired from his job for being “aggressive” toward female employees and had stolen clothing that matched what the killer wore. Teasley was indicted on 10 counts after investigators said he had sexually explicit images involving a child under 15 and possibly shared them. Authorities said they believe the attack was random at this time, but added that they “have not concluded our investigation into that.” He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in that case. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for Dec. 4.