Family members of a retired nurse who was killed in the parking structure of a Rolling Hills Estates mall nearly eight years ago told a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Friday, Jan. 23, that had her killer merely asked, she would have helped.
Cherie Townsend, convicted in December of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of 66-year-old Susan Leeds of Rancho Palos Verdes, kept her head forward and lightly shook her head multiple times as Leeds’ stepchildren spoke to the judge.
Townsend, 47, who faces a possible sentence of 26 years to life in state prison, never once looked back at the speakers.
Susan Leeds is shown in security footage the day she was killed at the Promenade on the Peninsula mall. (Photo courtesy of Los Angeles County Sheriffs)She is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 6 so a close friend of Leeds, who was not available on Friday, can speak to the court.
Six family members remembered “Suzy” as the “glue of the family” and the “kindest, gentlest” caretaker who always took time to remind people to smile and be happy; she comforted without judging, and she made others feel safe and seen. Leeds loved baking cookies and finding new activities to do with her grandchildren.
“She was a nurse who dedicated her life to helping others,” stepson Benjamin Leeds said. “Compassion defined who she was.”
Her husband fell into a deep depression following her death, which “broke him beyond repair and hastened his death,” said Julie Leeds, a stepdaughter.
Most spoke of their fear of getting in and out of their vehicles in parking lots since her death. Some told the judge they instead park on a busy street several blocks away.
They asked the judge to hand out the maximum sentence.
Just past 12:10 p.m. on May 3, 2018, Leeds returned to her SUV in the parking structure of the Promenade on the Peninsula Mall in Rolling Hills Estates and was attacked by Townsend, who stabbed her 17 times and slashed her throat before getting into her gold Chevy Malibu and fleeing, according to evidence presented at trial.
The murder was the first in Rolling Hills Estates in nearly a decade.
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“She researched and selected the most affluent neighborhood … to target the right victim,” said Julie Leeds, a stepdaughter. “After three hours, she chose Suzy to take her rage out on.”
Townsend’s defense attorney argued that there was no physical evidence tying Townsend to the murder, nor any direct eye witnesses. Neither Townsend’s fingerprints nor blood were found on Leeds or in her SUV.
But detectives found Townsend’s phone underneath Leeds’ SUV.
GPS data from the victim’s phone showed it pinging off of cell towers in the same general direction that Townsend drove while fleeing from the mall after the murder.
Following a weeks-long trial, jurors convicted Townsend of first-degree murder in less than a day of deliberating.
“The very best part of her is what made her vulnerable,” said Autumn Robinson, Leeds’ stepdaughter.
Townsend was released from custody following her first arrest. She filed a lawsuit against the county and the Sheriff’s Department, while also demanding that then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell declare her innocence. But in August 2023, Townsend was again arrested, and then charged with murder and robbery. The robbery charge was dropped before trial because of the statute of limitations.
“The defendant acted like the victim,” Robinson said, adding, along with others, that Townsend has not shown accountability or any remorse.
Some of the stepchildren told the judge that had Townsend simply asked for help, Susan Leeds would have provided it and more.
Instead, Robinson said, “Her bright light was snuffed out, and it’s made the world a darker place.”
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