PHOENIX (KGTV) — The man suspected of murdering a 29-year-old woman in a brutal attack on a hiking trail in Phoenix was a recruit at San Diego's Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot back in 2019, according to a report by ABC15 in Arizona.
Zion Teasley, 22, was arrested on a first-degree murder charge Thursday evening in connection to Lauren Heike's death, the Phoenix Police Department says.
Heike was found dead near a trail in north Phoenix on April 29. A law enforcement source told ABC15 that she had been stabbed multiple times.
Teasley entered recruit training at MCRD San Diego on March 25, 2019, but he was discharged by June 17, 2019, before completing boot camp, according to a statement from the Marine Corps sent to ABC15.
"Additional details are not releasable due to Privacy Act," the remainder of the Marine Corps' statement said.
Teasley made his first court appearance on Friday. ABC15 reported that a prosecutor said there was evidence connecting him to Heike's murder, such as DNA, cell phone and circumstantial evidence.
During the hearing, an attorney said Teasley was released from prison in November 2022. According to court documents, his criminal history includes charges of robbery, armed robbery and disorderly conduct.
Police in Arizona said Heike's injuries were consistent with a pocket knife Teasley was known to carry.
At this time, it is unknown if Teasley knew Heike or if it was a random attack.
