Woman convicted of killing retired nurse to get cash for child's cheerleading camp

"A mother of two was convicted Thursday of the 2018 stabbing and killing of a retired nurse in what prosecutors said was a robbery attempt to pay for the assailant's daughter to attend a cheerleading competition. Cherie Lynnette Townsend, 47, was found guilty of murdering Susan Leeds, 66, an attack that took place in the parking lot of in a Rolling Hills Estates mall. Officials said Leeds was stabbed 17 times shortly after noon on May 3."

"Investigators tested blood and DNA in and outside of Leeds' white Mercedes SUV, but it was Townsend's cellphone - found by deputies underneath the vehicle - that led to Townsend's arrest. Thursday's conviction brought an end to a seven-year legal ordeal. In public comments, in criminal court, and in a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Townsend insisted she was innocent in the brutal slaying, claiming she had been unfairly targeted and arrested in the crime."

Cherie Lynnette Townsend, 47, was convicted of murdering 66-year-old Susan Leeds in a 2018 parking-lot stabbing in Rolling Hills Estates. Leeds was stabbed 17 times shortly after noon on May 3. Investigators tested blood and DNA in and outside Leeds' white Mercedes and recovered Townsend's cellphone under the vehicle, which led to Townsend's arrest. Townsend was initially arrested in May 2018 and released days later, then sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department alleging false imprisonment and other claims; that federal lawsuit was dismissed. Townsend was rearrested and charged in August 2023; her public defender argued no direct evidence linked her to the killing.

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