Mother Who Stabbed a Nurse to Fund Her Teen’s Cheerleading Trip Learns Her Fate

UPDATE— Tuesday (Dec. 9), 3:01 p.m. EST: Cherie Lynette Townsend, a California mother who was reportedly strapped for cash but needed $2,000 for her daughter’s cheerleading trip, was first arrested for the fatal broad daylight stabbing of retired nurse Susan Leeds in 2018.

Townsend was released five days after Leeds’ death due to lack of evidence, proclaimed her innocence and filed a civil lawsuit against Los Angeles County for false imprisonment, defamation and emotional distress, Law & Crime reported. Fast forward to 2023, Townsend was taken into custody again, charged with first-degree murder and her multi-million dollar lawsuit was tossed.

This time, it only took a jury several hours to find Townsend guilty of murder, according to local news channel ABC 7. Townsend was also charged with robbery in 2023, but that charge was dismissed due to statute of limitations.

Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2026. She faces 26 years to life in state prison.

Original story: Nov. 14, 2025

Teenager‘s extracurricular activities can rack up thousands, for equipment, uniforms and training, amongst other requirements. But one California mom is accused of the unthinkable to fund her daughter’s cheerleading trip, and because she thought her children would be too embarrassed if she started a GoFundMe, prosecutors say she took matters in her own hands.

Cherie Lynette Townsend, according to Law & Crime, was struggling financially when her then 14-year-old daughter wanted to attend a cheerleading competition in Florida, and even posted about her money struggles on social media. Prosecutors said Townsend had also offered to bring two of her daughter’s friends with them on the trip as a birthday gift, so the friends each gave Townsend $350 for their tickets.

Those tickets were never paid for, according to prosecutors. And the cheerleading team’s general manager reportedly told investigators Townsend had been submitting checks that kept bouncing, and was now required to provide cash or cashier’s checks for fees, per a criminal complaint.

That same complaint alleged Townsend Googled different ways to get money, including how to find a “sugar daddy,” duplicate credit cards, robbing coin-operated washing machines, and even asking celebrities for donations cause she was about $2,000 short of traveling expenses. Then, prosecutors said she began to search for gyms and Promenade on the Peninsula, a shopping area in Rolling Hills Estate in California.

That’s when the unthinkable happened.

Susan Leeds, a 66-year-old retired nurse, had just finished shopping at the Promenade mall on May 3, 2018. Townsend had also been there that same day, but never shopped. But Leeds, who did, never made it home. According to the outlet, Leeds was found bleeding in her Mercedes-Benz SUV in the mall’s parking structure. She died minutes after she was found.

Prosecutors believe it was Townsend, who waited two hours for Leeds to come back to her car, allegedly stabbed Leeds 17 times and slit her neck. Leeds was carrying a black purse on surveillance, and after her death, it was gone. Townsend’s gold sedan was seen leaving the same structure where Leeds was found bleeding out. The attack, per The Orange County Register, was captured on a surveillance, but the distanced footage was blurry.

Not only was Townsend’s cellphone reportedly found under Leeds’ car, but Leeds’ phone was pinged off towers in the general area where Townsend was seen driving after the alleged attack. Townsend told police she did leave her phone in the parking structure, but was unsure of exactly where. Prosecutors say she even tried to shut off her phone when she went to a Verizon store in Carson.

Townsend was arrested two weeks after Leeds death, but was released days later. She vehemently claimed her innocence, said she “was wrongly accused,” and argued she was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“They had to blame somebody, and I was it,” Townsend said, per NBC 4 Los Angeles. “Because like they explained to me in interrogation, they told me I didn’t have any business over there. I’m not rich enough to be there, or I didn’t have the right car, or I didn’t look the part.”

But in August 2023, the now-47 year-old was re-arrested and this time, charged with murder.

Opening statements of Townsend’s murder trial began on Wednesday (Nov. 12). Townsend’s public defender said there were “a lot of questions that the prosecution can’t answer, and that is reasonable doubt.”

Per The Orange County Register, after Leeds died, Townsend allegedly admitted to another cheer mom on Facebook that “something huge happened today, I cannot get into it right now, but I could not get on that plane tonight.”