A Virginia Beach jury has convicted 40-year-old Hagen Lawrence Roberts in the brutal 2020 killing of 63-year-old Cynthia Capps, whose body was found hidden inside a toolbox in the backyard of a home.
Roberts was found guilty Wednesday of First-Degree Murder and Stabbing in the Commission of a Felony following a three-day trial.
Police were called to a home on Green Cedar Lane on October 8, 2020, after Capps’ husband reported finding blood in the kitchen and being unable to locate his wife. During the investigation, officers learned that the couple had been renting a room to Roberts.
When police attempted to check Roberts’ room, they found the door locked. After forcing entry, officers found Roberts on his bed with a cut on his hand, wrapped in a bandana. A search of the property soon led officers to a blood trail in the backyard, where Capps’ body was discovered inside a toolbox. She had been stabbed more than 90 times in the face, head, and neck.
Forensic testing linked both Roberts’ and Capps’ DNA to multiple pieces of evidence, including a broken folding knife found in Roberts’ room, blood-stained clothing in an outdoor trash can, and blood throughout the home.
Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2026.
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