Sexually confused killer fatally stabbed hiker in outburst of jealousy

Daily Mail​

02-05-2025

A man who had been struggling with his gender identity and sexuality killed a female hiker because he was jealous of her beauty, police say.
Zion Teasley, 24, is accused of fatally stabbing Lauren Heike, 29, after stalking her on an Arizona trail in April 2023.
Detectives said he had been writing of his sexual confusion in a diary in the months leading up to the murder of Lauren, who was stabbed 15 times.
'Battling': Zion Teasley had been writing in his journal about his gender identity in the months before the murder
In one entry he wrote: 'I have been battling with my gender identity and sexuality.
'I am Christian, so this isn't allowed. I want to live a life of serving god, but how can I with these and other sins in the way.
'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.'
Prosecutors also claim Teasley was depressed and wrote alongside a screenshot: 'When I see a beautiful woman and I'm a man.'
Surveillance footage: A camera captured the suspect following Heike, and eventually returning to the area where her body was found before hopping a fence
When policer asked the alleged killer about Heike before his arrest, he reportedly said: 'That's what I would want to look like.'
Meanwhile, investigators say they found a picture of Teasley in an outfit similar to what Heike was wearing when she was killed.
A well-placed camera captured the suspect following Heike, and eventually returning to the area where her body was found before hopping a fence.
Cops who found Heike previously said she'd been 'chased through or over a barbed wire fence.'
After seeing surveillance footage of the murder suspect, Teasley allegedly replied: 'That's me. I think is it? I don't know.'
When asked if the murder was planned, he reportedly told police: 'I'm telling you, if I was gonna do something like that, it definitely wouldn't be premeditated.'
Teasley is an ex-con with a record that goes back to 2020. He was arrested for Heike's murder just five months after finishing a three-year jail sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon.
Teasley - whose laundry list of crimes came after he dropped out of the Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego after just four months - pleaded not guilty to the murder.
A probable cause affidavit later revealed the suspected killer had recently been fired from his job at a nearby sports store for being 'aggressive' to female employees.
They claim Heike, who was found dead on the Reach 11 trail, was chased over a barbed wire fence as she relentlessly sought to escape her attacker.
Teasley's attorneys are now referring to him as 'her' in court.
The alleged killer requested his trial date be pushed back three years and it is now set for January 2027.