Update, 8:30a.m.
Police in Phoenix have identified the suspect in custody connected to the murder of 29-year-old Lauren Heike.
Zion William Teasley, 22, was booked into Maricopa County Jail on Thursday on a charge of first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.
In his first court appearance Friday, prosecutors said evidence led them to connect Teasley to the murder, including DNA and cell phone tracking as well as circumstantial evidence. Prosecutors also said the attack may have been pre-meditated.
Teasley is set to appear in court again on May 11.
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Phoenix police say a suspect is in custody less than a week after a woman was found dead on a hiking trail in Phoenix.
Police arrested the suspect at his home just one mile from where Lauren Heike's body was found last week. Investigators did not release the man's identity but say he is in his 20's.
Phoenix Police Department officials say Heike, 29, was out for a hike on the Reach 11 trail in northeast Phoenix last Friday when she was attacked from behind. Her body was discovered Saturday morning.
Police had released surveillance footage of a suspect running away from the area and confirm that the man they arrested is believed to be the man in the video.
NEW INFO ON HOMICIDE investigation. Police are hoping someone can help them identify the person in this short video who may have info on a homicide case from 6500 E Libby Street. Anyone with info call police or @SilentwitnessAZ Original media advisory:https://t.co/8ITIbfihky pic.twitter.com/2vnwY840NC
— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) May 3, 2023
