Mom Convicted of Homicide Over Cheerleading Bills
Cherie Townsend has been convicted of killing a retired nurse in what authorities say was an attempt to get money to send her daughter to a cheerleading competition, according to multiple reports.
Townsend was found guilty of first-degree murder on December 4 for the killing of 66-year-old Susan Leeds on May 3, 201, in the parking structure of the Promenade on the Peninsula shopping mall in Rolling Hills Estates, California, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) confirmed in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Leeds was stabbed 17 times shortly after noon.
According to PEOPLE, the LASD said in a statement, “When [Lomita Station Deputies] arrived [at the murder scene], they observed the victim in the driver’s seat of her vehicle suffering from multiple stab wounds. Paramedics responded and subsequently pronounced the victim deceased.”
The department also explained the long timeline of the investigation, saying, “Investigative leads were followed, and the suspect, Cherie Townsend, was arrested for murder on May 17, 2018. On May 21, 2018, the case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. At the time, the case was rejected pending further investigation.”
They then shared that the case was later reassigned. “In July of 2022, the case was reassigned to new investigators, and the evidence was re-evaluated. Several witnesses were re-interviewed, and new witnesses were interviewed.”
The LASD added, “On August 16, 2023, investigators presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for their consideration of filing charges. A warrant for murder 187(a) P.C. was issued for the arrest of Suspect Townsend,” and confirmed she was arrested two days later.
Townsend’s public defender, Elizabeth Landgraf, argued that there was no direct evidence — such as fingerprints, DNA, eyewitnesses, or video surveillance that linked her client to the killing, according to the Los Angeles Times.
While blood samples found in and around Leeds’ vehicle did not match Townsend, DNA found on a cellphone discovered beneath the victim’s car did match her, the outlet reported.
Townsend previously claimed she had been at the mall shopping for her son’s prom, but she could not explain why her phone was found under the victim’s vehicle, KTLA said.
Leeds’ stepson, Fred Leeds, spoke with KTLA following the verdict, saying, “So many lives were impacted by this murder,” and described his stepmother as “a kind human being that would have done anything for anyone.” He added, “She lived a great life… and to be so brutally murdered, there’s just no explanation for it.”
He also expressed gratitude to investigators. “I want to first start out by thanking the police and sheriff’s department in the pursuit of this murder,” adding, “She didn’t have to be murdered for her purse.”
KTLA also stated that Leed’s husband of 25 years died in 2022 and never got to see the case brought to justice. “The last words from [my Dad] to me were, ‘My Susie didn’t deserve this,’” Fred said.