The man accused in a high-profile Valley murder case is now facing new felony charges. ABC15 obtained a grand jury indictment filed one week ago, which charges Zion Teasley with sexual exploitation of a minor.
The indictment alleges the now 24-year-old committed those crimes years before being accused of the murder of Lauren Heike.
Heike's death was a murder case that rocked the Valley in April 2023. The 29-year-old was attacked while on a north Phoenix trail and stabbed more than a dozen times.
"I can’t imagine what the family is going through, that this happened to such a lovely person that seemed to have such an amazing life," said neighbor Kathleen Tomes one year after Heike's death.
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It was DNA from Heike's shoe found at the scene that helped lead Phoenix police to suspect Teasley.
Police arrested Teasley, who is still in custody and facing a first-degree murder charge. But this week ABC15 learned he is now facing 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The indictment alleges this happened between March 2019 and July 2020.
While his arraignment isn’t until February 12, Teasley did have his initial appearance in front of a judge. At one point, Teasley raised his hand and asked multiple questions.
"What is sexual exploitation of a minor?," asked Teasley.
"So, in your case, I don't know if it's possession of certain materials that are considered to be sexually exploitive of a minor," said the judge. "The only thing I have in your matter is the indictment."
The judge also said that this case did go through a Grand Jury.
This marks Teasley’s third case in Superior Court, back in August County Attorney also charged him in a separate assault and burglary case from January 2020.
The murder trial for Heike's case is currently set for October 2025.
