Woman to stand trial for stabbing woman to death in Rancho Palos Verdes mall parking lot

A woman who was arrested two weeks after the robbing and stabbing of a woman in a Rancho Palos Verdes shopping center parking lot has been ordered to stand trial six years later.

Cherie Lynnette Townsend, 45, faces one count each of second-degree murder and second-degree robbery involving the killing of Susan Leeds, 66, of Rancho Palos Verdes.

Although she was not the first suspect arrested in the crime, police linked Townsend to the murder shortly after the incident, and her connection to the case has had twists and turns. She sued the county after she was arrested, was released, and was arrested again more than five years later.

Leeds was attacked in broad daylight in the Promenade car park on the Peninsula on 3 May 2018.

The retired nurse was found dead in her white 2016 Mercedes-Benz SUV parked on the first floor of the mall’s parking lot. She had been stabbed 17 times in the neck and upper body and had a finger injury that indicated she may have tried to defend herself, according to a deputy medical examiner who reviewed the autopsy results.

A man who had been labeled a person of interest He was arrested a day after the Leeds murder, but was eventually ruled out as a suspect in the murder. He was, however, arrested for another offence.

Townsend was initially arrested for the crime committed on May 17, 2018in Victorville. Homicide investigators at the time said they did not believe Leeds was specifically targeted, but rather that it was a crime of opportunity. Townsend was released from custody five days later after prosecutors asked law enforcement to further investigate the crime.

Then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Townsend's vehicle, a gold 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, was parked on the same floor. He noted that there was still “a tremendous amount of investigative work” to be done.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in November 2018, Townsend sued Los Angeles County, McDonnell and the then-mayors of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, alleging unlawful confinement, defamation, emotional distress, negligence and civil rights violations.

Following Townsend's lawsuit in October 2018, the sheriff's department called the investigation “a very complex, but active, investigation.” The department said investigators continue to gather information from the public and follow up on all leads, with physical and forensic evidence continually being reevaluated.

Townsend was rearrested in 2023 and has remained behind bars since then in lieu of $2 million bail, jail records show.

In testimony during a four-day hearing, the judge heard testimony that a phone belonging to Townsend was found under the driver's side of the victim's SUV and that she went to a Verizon store in Carson that afternoon to try to determine where her phone was.

Townsend's complaint was dismissed without prejudice last September, shortly after his arrest.

His court appearance is scheduled for July 16 at the Torrance courthouse.