Woman gets 26 years to life for fatal stabbing of retired nurse in Rolling Hills Estates

A 47-year-old woman was sentenced Friday, Feb. 6, to 26 years to life in state prison for fatally stabbing a retired nurse in the parking structure of a Rolling Hills Estates mall during an apparent robbery attempt in 2018.

Torrance Superior Court Judge John J. Lonergan handed down the sentence to Cherie Townsend, ending a nearly eight-year saga for Leeds’ family, which endured Townsend’s original arrest in 2018 and then could only watch as she was released and went on to sue Los Angeles...