In a dramatic courtroom conclusion, a California woman has been found guilty of murdering a retired nurse in a chilling plot to finance her daughter’s cheerleading trip. Cherie Townsend, 47, was convicted of murder by a jury on Thursday, marking the end of a legal saga that began seven years ago with her initial arrest, release, and subsequent rearrest in the 2018 death of 66-year-old Susan Leeds.

The case, which has garnered significant attention, was reported by the Daily Breeze. Prosecutors painted a picture of Townsend as someone desperate to gather funds through illicit means to support her teenage daughter’s cheerleading ambitions. The tragic events unfolded on May 3, 2018, at the Promenade on the Peninsula mall in Rolling Hills Estates, California, where Leeds was brutally stabbed to death in her Mercedes-Benz SUV.

Surveillance footage became a crucial piece of evidence in the case. It captured a gold Chevy Malibu, registered to Townsend, entering the mall’s parking structure at 9:40 a.m. Prosecutors argued that Townsend waited until 12:12 p.m., when Leeds returned to her vehicle, and then launched a violent attack, stabbing her 17 times in the neck and torso. The footage showed Townsend’s car speeding out of the parking area shortly afterward, cutting off other vehicles and ignoring traffic signals.

Adding to the trail of evidence, Townsend’s cellphone was discovered at the crime scene beneath Leeds’ SUV. The investigation revealed that Leeds’ cellphone was tracked moving in the same direction Townsend was seen driving. In a further attempt to cover her tracks, Townsend reportedly visited a Verizon store to terminate the phone account connected to the stolen device.

Townsend’s cellphone was found at the crime scene, underneath Leeds’ SUV. Police tracked Leeds’ cellphone as it traveled in the same direction Townsend was seen heading on camera. Townsend later went to a Verizon store to close the account attached to that phone.

Defense attorneys for Townsend argued that there was no other physical evidence tying Townsend to the murder. At the time of Leeds’ death, police arrested and released a homeless man in connection with the crime. Townsend was also arrested in 2018 but released five days later due to a lack of evidence. She took to the media to proclaim her innocence and filed a civil suit 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.