Background: Cherie Townsend spoke to KCNB in 2018 after she was released following her first arrest in connection with Susan Leeds” death (KNBC). Inset: Susan Leeds (via LA Times).
A California woman has been found guilty of murdering a retired nurse to allegedly fund her daughter’s cheerleading trip. The verdict was handed down on Thursday, bringing closure to a case that began seven years ago.
Cherie Townsend, 47, was convicted of the 2018 murder of 66-year-old Susan Leeds, a retired nurse. This conviction follows Townsend’s arrest, release, and subsequent re-arrest. The case, covered by the Daily Breeze, revealed that Townsend sought illicit means to secure funds for her teenage daughter’s cheerleading trip, according to prosecutors.
The incident occurred on May 3, 2018, at the Promenade on the Peninsula mall in Rolling Hills Estates, California. On that day, Leeds was found stabbed to death inside her Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Prosecutors highlighted surveillance footage showing a gold Chevy Malibu, registered to Townsend, entering the mall’s parking structure at 9:40 a.m. Townsend allegedly waited until 12:12 p.m. to attack Leeds, stabbing her 17 times in the neck and torso. Townsend’s vehicle was then seen hurriedly exiting the parking structure, cutting off other cars and running a red light, according to the prosecution.
Authorities discovered Townsend’s cellphone at the crime scene, beneath Leeds’ SUV. Further investigation showed that Leeds’ phone traveled in the same direction Townsend’s car was seen heading. Townsend also visited a Verizon store to close the account linked to Leeds’ phone.
Townsend’s defense team argued that no additional physical evidence connected her to the crime. Initially, a homeless man was arrested and released in connection with Leeds’ death. Townsend herself was arrested in 2018 but was released after five days due to insufficient evidence. She later publicly declared her innocence and filed a civil lawsuit against the county.
When Townsend was arrested again in 2023, the lawsuit was dismissed.
Police cited Townsend’s changing story about her whereabouts on the day of the murder as the reason for her second arrest. When she was first questioned, she told police she went to the mall to get something for her daughter, but said she did not leave the mall’s parking structure because of car troubles. In 2023, Townsend was interviewed again and told police she was at the mall to get something for her son. This time, she said she walked to the mall.
Both stories contradicted what was seen on surveillance cameras.
Prosecutors said that Townsend was under financial strain leading up to Leeds’ murder. As Law&Crime previously reported, she had conducted Google searches for ways to make 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 Equinox gyms in the area.
According to a criminal complaint, Townsend was increasingly desperate to come up with $2,000 cash so she could send her teenage daughter to a cheerleading competition in Florida. She reportedly wanted to send two of her daughter’s friends with her and asked them for $350 to buy their plane tickets. However, prosecutors said those tickets were never purchased.
Townsend was found guilty of first-degree murder after a jury deliberated for several hours. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2026.
