Trans killer blames transition for stabbing hiker 15 times on trail: Victim was what I want to look like

A troubled one-time Marine recruit who was transitioning to live as a trans woman has admitted to stabbing a hiker to death — having told cops she was “what I would want to look like.”Zion Teasley, 25, pleaded guilty to murdering beauty technician Lauren Heike, 29, in a deal that took the death penalty off the table.The felon, who had left the Marines just months after going through bootcamp, will instead spend the rest of his life in prison for killing the hiker, who was found dead by neighbors at the foot of a barbed wire fence with 15 stab wounds off a Phoenix trail in 2023.Before the murder, Teasley wrote in his diary that he was “battling with my gender identity and sexuality,” which he believed was conflicting with his Christian faith, according to a 400-page police report on the killing obtained by ABC 15 last year.“I want to live a life of serving god, but how can I with these and other sins in the way,” wrote the killer, whose attorney called “she” in court.“[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.” He said he was depressed by seeing “beautiful” women because he was stuck being “a man.”When he was first interviewed by police, he denied having seen Heike anywhere but on the news — strangely telling officers, “That’s what I would want to look like.”Teasley was caught on surveillance footage as he stalked Heike, a stranger, before he chased her down, killed her with a pocket knife and jumped over the fence to escape.Police discovered DNA on Heike’s shoes that matched Teasley, who was on probation at the time after serving a year in prison for armed robbery and other offenses. He was arrested days later at his home about a mile away from the trail, according to police.Teasley’s boss told police he had recently been fired from his job for being “aggressive” toward female employees — and had stolen clothing that matched what ...