A Virginia man has been sentenced to life in prison plus five years for the first-degree murder of his 63-year-old landlady, whom he stabbed more than 90 times before hiding her remains in a toolbox. The case came to light after Capps' husband discovered a single drop of blood in their home. Authorities found overwhelming evidence linking Hagen Lawrence Roberts to the October 2020 killing in Virginia Beach.
On October 8, 2020, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Cynthia Capps' husband called 911 after emerging from a shower and being unable to locate his wife. He noticed a single drop of blood on the kitchen floor, prompting him to alert authorities. Police responded to the home on Green Cedar Lane, where Capps and her husband had rented a room to Hagen Lawrence Roberts, 41.
Officers found Roberts' bedroom door locked. Upon breaching it, they discovered him on his bed, appearing wet from a recent shower and with a cut on his right hand wrapped in a black bandana. A search revealed bloodstains in the backyard and throughout the house. In the backyard, investigators located Capps' remains inside a toolbox, showing trauma to her head and face. Forensic analysis confirmed she had been stabbed over 90 times in the head, face, and neck. A metal shard, identified as the tip of a knife, was removed from her skull.
In Roberts' room, police seized a black folding knife with a broken tip covered in dried blood. Blood-covered clothes were found in an outdoor trash can. The metal shard matched the knife exactly, and DNA from both Capps and Roberts was present on the knife, clothing, and bloodstains.
Roberts was arrested but maintained his innocence. During sentencing, he stated, "The picture you're painting of me as a menace to society, and a killer with no remorse, is not true. I do have remorse. But I can't lie and admit to something I didn't do." The presiding judge described the evidence as "overwhelming" and imposed the maximum sentence: life in prison plus five years. Roberts was convicted in November of first-degree murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony. No motive was mentioned in official announcements.
Capps was remembered in her obituary as a dedicated mother and wife who overcame significant obstacles in life.
