ARIZONA – A 24-year-old brutally killed a young woman as she enjoyed a morning hike because he believed he was a transgender woman and was jealous of her beauty, according to police.
Zion Teasley is accused of stabbing 29-year-old Lauren Heike 15 times after stalking her on an Arizona hiking trail in April, 2023. Police narrowed in on him thanks to DNA found in her show at the murder scene.
Police now say Teasley had been writing in his journal about his gender identity in the months leading up to the esthetician’s murder, as reported by ABC 15.