A California woman was so desperate to pay for her daughter's trip to a cheer competition that she resorted to murder.
Cherie Townsend was convicted last month of murdering Susan Leeds, 66, in a parking garage in 2018, ABC's Los Angeles affiliate reported. According to prosecutors, Townsend had staked out a parking garage in a rich area, hoping to find a vulnerable victim and secure the necessary funds for the cheer competition.
The station reported that Leeds, a retired nurse, was stabbed 17 times in the Rolling Hills parking garage. At the time, it was the first murder in Rolling Hills in 10 years.
After Townsend's conviction, the court heard impact statements from family members. "She was a nurse who dedicated her life to helping others," stepson Benjamin, according to the Daily Breeze. "Compassion defined who she was."
Townsend will be sentenced in February. She faces 26 years to life.
"A conviction for first-degree murder can never bring back all that we have lost in the few minutes it took for Cherie Townsend to rob and stab Susie 17 times before leaving her to bleed out and die alone," said Julie Leeds, Leeds' stepdaughter, according to ABC.
The Daily Breeze reported that the attack happened around 12:10 p.m. in May 2018. The newspaper reported that prosecutors contend that Townsend was looking for money to pay for plane tickets to take her daughter and three of her daughter's friends to a Florida cheer competition.
"She researched and selected the most affluent neighborhood ... to target the right victim," said Julie Leeds, according to the newspaper. "After three hours, she chose Suzy to take her rage out on."
