Justice finally caught up with Hagen Lawrence Roberts last week in a Virginia Beach courtroom. On the heels of a three-day jury trial that concluded last November, Circuit Court Judge Stephen C. Mahan handed down the steepest penalty possible: life in prison plus an additional five years.
The 41-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony for a crime that shook a quiet neighborhood back in 2020.
The grim details of the case trace back to October 8, 2020, at a home on Green Cedar Lane. The investigation began when a local man called 911 in a panic, reporting that his wife, Cynthia Capps, had vanished while he was taking a shower. His suspicion was sparked by a single, chilling discovery: a lone drop of blood on the kitchen floor. When officers arrived to sweep the house, their attention quickly turned to a locked bedroom rented out to Roberts.
After breaching the door, police found Roberts lying on his bed, still damp from a recent shower. A black bandana was wrapped around a fresh cut on his hand.
READ: Tampa Man Arrested In Connection To 2025 Riverview Murder, Disposal Of Woman’s Body
The search for Capps ended in the backyard, where her body was discovered hidden inside a toolbox. The medical examiner’s report revealed the sheer brutality of the attack, noting she had been stabbed more than 90 times across her head, face, and neck.
The forensic trail leading back to Roberts was extensive. Technicians from the Department of Forensic Science analyzed a metal shard pulled from the victim’s skull and found it was a perfect match for a black folding knife found in Roberts’ room—a knife that was missing its tip and stained with dried blood.
Further searches turned up bloody clothing tossed in an outdoor trash can. DNA testing eventually confirmed that blood from both Capps and Roberts was present on the murder weapon, the discarded clothes, and various spots throughout the residence.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin D. Stolle confirmed the sentencing on Thursday following the prosecution led by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Thomas J. Wright and Gordon C. Ufkes.
With the judge’s decision to impose the maximum sentence, Roberts is expected to spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
