In a chilling case that has captured the attention of California residents, prosecutors have asserted that a woman accused of a brutal murder was allegedly motivated by a desperate need for money to fund her daughter’s cheerleading endeavors. Cherie Lynette Townsend, 47, stands trial for the stabbing death of Susan Leeds, a 66-year-old retired nurse, in a mall parking structure. The incident, which unfolded on May 3, 2018, at the Promenade on the Peninsula mall in Rolling Hills, saw Leeds tragically lose her life moments after being discovered wounded in her Mercedes-Benz SUV.

As the trial commenced on Wednesday in Torrance Superior Court, prosecutors painted a picture of Townsend’s financial struggles leading up to the fateful day. According to reports from Daily Breeze, Townsend and Leeds crossed paths while shopping at the same mall. Surveillance footage revealed Townsend’s gold sedan leaving the parking structure shortly after Leeds was found bleeding.

Prosecutors highlighted Townsend’s dire financial situation, noting her social media posts hinting at monetary woes. A significant factor in her alleged motive was a cheerleading trip to Florida for her 14-year-old daughter. Townsend had reportedly collected $350 each from two of her daughter’s friends, promising to purchase tickets for the trip. However, prosecutors claim those tickets were never bought, sparking suspicions of Townsend’s intentions.

An investigation by local authorities, as reported by a Palos Verdes Patch journalist, uncovered further financial irregularities. Townsend was allegedly writing checks that bounced, prompting the cheerleading team’s manager to demand cash or cashier’s checks for team fees. This financial instability, prosecutors argue, drove Townsend to search for unconventional and potentially illegal ways to procure money.

Evidence presented in court included Townsend’s Google search history, which prosecutors said included inquiries about duplicating credit cards, robbing coin-operated machines, soliciting celebrity donations, and even finding a “sugar daddy.” Notably, her searches also included information about the Promenade on the Peninsula and local gyms, suggesting a degree of premeditation.

The complaint stated that Townsend had used Google to search for different ways to obtain money, including duplicating credit cards, robbing coin-operated washing machines, celebrity donations, and even finding a “sugar daddy.” Prosecutors also cited Google searches for Promenade on the Peninsula and gyms in the area.

In court, prosecutors said that Townsend wanted to start a GoFundMe to raise money for the trip, but she thought her children would be embarrassed.

Prosecutors contended that Townsend lay in wait for two hours for Leeds to return to her SUV. When Leeds got back from shopping at The Gap and getting takeout food, Townsend allegedly stabbed the retired nurse 17 times in the neck and torso. Leeds’ black purse, which she was seen carrying on surveillance video, was gone. She was still wearing her jewelry.

According to prosecutors and the criminal complaint, Townsend’s phone was found under Leeds’ car. Prosecutors further stated that Leeds’ phone pinged off towers in the general area where Townsend was seen heading after the alleged attack. In the complaint, a homicide investigator stated that they identified the phone under Leeds’ car as Townsend’s when they saw a photo of her on the phone.

Townsend, who was interviewed by police in the days after Leeds’ death, told detectives that she knew she left her phone in the parking structure but did not know where. She reportedly visited a Verizon store to try to locate her phone.

Police seized Townsend’s car as evidence, but did not find any of Leeds’ belongings, nor did they find a murder weapon. Townsend was arrested on May 17, 2018, in connection with Leeds’ homicide, but was released days later. She later sued the county and repeatedly claimed her innocence, including in an interview in September 2018 to local NBC affiliate KNBC.

Another man was also arrested in the early days of the investigation, but was cleared as a suspect.

Five years after Leeds’ death, in August 2023, Townsend was arrested again. Her defense attorney argued in court on Monday that there was no evidence connecting Townsend to Leeds’ death, and Townsend’s DNA was excluded from 40 samples taken at the scene.

Townsend’s attorney said there were “a lot of questions that the prosecution can’t answer, and that is reasonable doubt.”

Townsend was charged with murder when she was rearrested in 2023.