A Virginia Beach man was sentenced to life in prison, plus five years, on Wednesday morning for stabbing a woman over 80 times and leaving her body in a toolbox in their backyard.
A jury found Hagen Lawrence Roberts, 41, guilty of first degree murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony after DNA and circumstantial evidence connected him to what prosecutors and the judge called one of the most brutal murders they had ever seen.
Cynthia Capps was renting out a room in her home on Green Cedar Lane to Roberts during the height of the pandemic.
On Oct. 8, 2020, Capps’ husband called 911 after he found a drop of blood on the kitchen floor and couldn’t find his wife.
Police searched the home and found Roberts’ room locked, according to a news release. They forced the door open and found Roberts on the bed, wet as though he had recently taken a shower and with a black bandana wrapped around a wound on his right hand.
During a search of the backyard, police tracked blood stains to a toolbox, where they found Capps’ body. She had been stabbed an excess of 80 times in the head, eyes, face and neck.
There were so many stab wounds that it was difficult for the medical examiner to even determine how many there were, prosecutors said.
“Cynthia died in one of the most horrific manners this court has ever seen,” said Gordie Ufkes, an assistant commonwealth’s attorney.
A metal fragment recovered from Capps’ skull had broken off from the tip of a black folding knife. The knife was found covered in dried blood in Roberts’ bedroom, according to forensic analysis. Both Roberts’ and Capps’ DNA were found on the knife, bloodstains throughout the home and on bloodied clothes found discarded in the outside trash can.
The judge presiding over the case, Stephen Mahan, called the evidence connecting Roberts to the murder “overwhelming,” and pointed out the lack of evidence “to provide any indication as to why such a savage and brutal act was instigated.” He said he thought the high end of the sentencing guidelines were not sufficient for the “savage” nature of the murder.
Roberts maintains his innocence. In an address to the court prior to his sentencing, he said he didn’t initially plan to speak but felt compelled to correct how prosecutors portrayed him.
“The picture you’re painting of me as a menace to society, and a killer with no remorse, is not true,” Roberts said. “I do have remorse. But I can’t lie and admit to something I didn’t do.”
Roberts said his prior convictions were traffic or minor drug offenses, and he’d never hurt anyone. He said that he would have conversations with Capps and help her around the house, and that he was sorry she is no longer alive.
Capps’ brothers — Cavan Capps and Carl Capps — said that not just their sister’s death, but how she died, has torn their family apart.
“Could you imagine living through the horror of looking at someone stabbing you and feeling the knife in your face?” Cavan Capps said. “Hitchcock’s psycho isn’t that bad. It’s worse than anything you see on TV.”
They described their sister as a friend to many and an avid gardener, who formerly worked in the U.S. Air Force and cryogenics. Cynthia Capps “loved her daughter desperately,” they said, and had grandchildren when she passed.
Roberts plans to appeal his conviction, according to his lawyer, Trevor Robinson.
Nori Leybengrub, nori.leybengrub@virginiamedia.com, 757-349-3523
