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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Woman arrested in Rolling Hills Estates stabbing death released
The District Attorney's Office held off on filing a case against a woman arrested in the fatal stabbing of a 66-year-old woman inside a mall parking structure in Rolling Hills Estates. FOX 11's Zohreen Adamjee reports.
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. - A woman who had previously sued Los Angeles County after being arrested and released in connection with a 2018 slaying was convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday.
What we know:
Cherie Lynette Townsend, 47, was found guilty of the May 3, 2018, killing of Susan Leeds, 66, in a parking garage at the Promenade on the Peninsula in Rolling Hills Estates.
A seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated for just under a day before finding Townsend guilty of first-degree murder.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Woman arrested in Rolling Hills Estates killing files damages claim
The panel also found true an allegation that Townsend personally used a knife during the crime.
The backstory:
Leeds was killed in broad daylight while inside her white 2016 Mercedes-Benz SUV on the first floor of the mall parking garage. She had been stabbed 17 times in the neck and upper body, with bruises suggesting she attempted to defend herself.
Townsend was initially arrested in May 2018 but was released five days later after prosecutors requested further investigation.
In August 2023, the sheriff's department's fugitive unit re-arrested Townsend.
Timeline:
May 3, 2018: Susan Leeds, 66, is stabbed to death inside her SUV in a Rolling Hills Estates Mall parking garage.
May 2018: Townsend is initially arrested in connection with the killing but is released five days later.
October 2018: Townsend files a multimillion-dollar damages claim against Los Angeles County.
November 2018: Townsend files a federal lawsuit alleging false imprisonment, defamation, negligence, and civil rights violations, among other claims.
August 2023: Townsend is re-arrested by the sheriff's department's fugitive unit. Her civil lawsuit is dismissed shortly after.
December 4, 2025: Townsend is convicted of first-degree murder.
Dig deeper:
Deputy district attorneys Paul Thompson and Jonathan Chung argued that Townsend killed Leeds during a robbery.
A cell phone belonging to Townsend was found underneath the driver's side of the victim's SUV.
Cell phone records showed internet searches for topics including computer hacking, duplicate credit cards, money laundering, fake ID generators, and how to steal money from an ATM or coin-operated washing machine.
Bank records showed Townsend had a zero balance in her account between March 2018 and May 2018.
A witness, Kelly Hopper, identified Townsend as the woman she saw near a gold four-door sedan in the parking lot shortly after 11:30 a.m. that day.
Hopper testified that Townsend stared at her, saying, "I got this feeling she was going to hurt me, something bad was going to happen."
In her 2018 interview, Townsend claimed she was at the mall to shop for her daughter but didn't go in due to a car transmission problem. When interviewed again in 2023, she claimed she went to shop for her son's prom, went into stores, and didn't have car problems—statements a detective noted were inconsistent.
Townsend's daughter's cheer team general manager put Townsend on a cash or cashier's check basis after she started bouncing checks, and another mother testified the program costs could reach as high as $25,000.
What they're saying:
In his closing argument, deputy district attorney Jonathan Chung told the jury, "All of the evidence points to the defendant."
Defense attorney Elizabeth Landgraf argued for acquittal.
"Ms. Townsend did not kill Susan Leeds ... I don't know who killed her. ... it was certainly not Cherie Townsend."
Regarding the cell phone found at the scene, Landgraf told the court, "I don't know how it wound up there."
What's next:
Townsend is due back in court for sentencing on January 23, 2026.
Townsend is facing 26 years to life in state prison.
The Source: This report is based on court records and proceedings, with key facts confirmed by the jury's guilty verdict and the specific findings related to the use of a knife. Details about the evidence, including cell phone and bank records, witness accounts, and the autopsy, are drawn directly from detective and witness testimony and statements made by both defense and prosecuting attorneys during the trial and related hearings.