Overview
- A Torrance Superior Court jury on Dec. 4 found Townsend guilty of murdering 66-year-old retired nurse Susan Leeds, who was stabbed 17 times inside her SUV.
- Prosecutors presented automated license-plate-reader hits, garage camera images of Townsend’s gold Chevrolet Malibu, and her cellphone discovered under Leeds’ vehicle.
- Evidence also traced Leeds’ missing phone pinging along Townsend’s route, documented Townsend’s return toward the mall, and showed an attempted account closure at a Verizon store in Carson.
- The state argued a financial motive supported by searches about the mall and ID checks, messages about fake identification, and notes and texts showing she was short on travel funds after taking money from friends for plane tickets.
- The defense stressed the absence of DNA, fingerprints, witnesses or clear video, cited untested male DNA samples, and noted unresolved items including the missing murder weapon and Leeds’ unrecovered phone, while highlighting Townsend’s shifting statements between 2018 and 2023.