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

A woman who was arrested two weeks after the robbery and stabbing death of a woman in a Rancho Palos Verdes mall parking structure has been ordered to stand trial, six years later.

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

Although not the first suspect arrested for the crime, police linked Townsend to the murder shortly after it happened and there have been twists and turns with her connection to the case. She sued the county after being arrested, then she was released, then subsequently re-arrested over five years later.

Leeds was attacked in the middle of the day in the parking garage of the Promenade on the Peninsula on May 3, 2018.

The retired nurse was found inside her white 2016 Mercedes-Benz SUV parked on the first floor of the mall's parking garage. She had been stabbed 17 times in the neck and upper body and had a wound on a finger 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 called a person of interest was detained a day after Leeds was killed, but he was ultimately ruled out as a suspect in the murder. He was, however, arrested for an unrelated offense.

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

Then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Townsend's vehicle, a gold 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, had been parked on the same floor. He noted then 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 false imprisonment, defamation, emotional distress, negligence and civil rights violations.

Following Townsend's lawsuit in October 2018, the sheriff's department called it a "very complex, yet active investigation." The department said investigators were still fielding public tips, and following up on all leads, with the physical and forensic evidence continually being re-evaluated.

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

During testimony in a hearing that stretched over portions of four days, the judge heard testimony that a phone belonging to Townsend was found underneath 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 the whereabouts of her phone.

The lawsuit filed by Townsend was dismissed without prejudice last September shortly after her arrest.

Her arraignment is set to take place July 16, at the Torrance courthouse.