Man pleads guilty to 2023 killing of Lauren Heike on Phoenix hiking trail

Zion Teasley has pleaded guilty to the 2023 murder of Lauren Heike, who was found dead with multiple stab wounds along a trail in north Phoenix.

Teasley entered the plea last Friday to first-degree premeditated murder, as well as a separate sexual exploitation of a minor charge stemming from conduct dating to 2019, according to the Maricopa County Superior Court. Under the plea agreement, Teasley is expected to be sentenced to natural life in prison, and prosecutors will withdraw their pursuit of the death penalty.