Woman Arrested In Fatal Rolling Hills Estates Stabbing

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, CA – Cherie Townsend, a 39-year-old woman, has been arrested in the May 3 stabbing death of a 66-year-old woman inside a mall parking structure in Rolling Hills Estates, Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials announced at a press conference Friday morning. The suspect was arrested in the early morning Thursday in Victorville, Ca. and will be charged with murder. Sheriff's officials believe the motive for the crime was robbery, and that Leeds was randomly chosen.

Authorities are not releasing the suspect's booking photo to preserve the integrity of any follow-up photo identifications of the suspect, according to the live press conference.

"There's a tremendous amount of investigative work that still needs to be done before we present it to the District Attorney's Office," Sheriff Jim McDonnell said. "We also haven't ruled out the potential involvement of other suspects, however, we don't have any information that leads us to other suspects at this time."

Susan Leeds, of Rancho Palos Verdes, was attacked shortly after 12:20 p.m. May 3 at the Promenade on the Peninsula in the 500 block of Deep Valley Drive. Leeds was found inside her SUV parked inside the Promenade's parking garage with her throat cut and several stab wounds to the chest. This was the first murder in Rolling Hills Estates in nine years – it rattled the community, unnerving residents unused to having to worry about crime in their quiet neighborhood.

A man had been detained a day after Leeds was killed and he was called a person of interest in the case. He was ultimately ruled out a suspect in the killing based on forensic evidence and video surveillance, according to although he was arrested for an unrelated offense.

"Based on surveillance video and current known evidence, the male is no longer being considered a person of interest, unless additional information or evidence comes to light," sheriff's officials said last week.

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City News Service contributed to this report; Image of the victim via Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department