Prosecutors say victim was stabbed more than 90 times before her body was hidden in a toolbox
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – A Virginia Beach man who murdered a woman and concealed her body inside a toolbox has been sentenced to life in prison plus five years, the maximum penalty allowed under Virginia law, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin D. Stolle.
Key Points
- Hagen Lawrence Roberts, 41, was convicted of first-degree murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony.
- The victim, Cynthia Capps, was stabbed more than 90 times in the head, face, and neck.
- Roberts received a life plus five-year sentence from Judge Stephen C. Mahan, following a November 2025 jury conviction.
Crime scene discovery on Green Cedar Lane
On October 8, 2020, Virginia Beach police were called to a home on Green Cedar Lane after Capps’ husband reported her missing. The caller told dispatchers he had taken a shower and could not locate his wife afterward. He noticed a single drop of blood on the kitchen floor and contacted police.
Officers searched the home and learned that Hagen Roberts, a tenant renting a room in the house, had locked his bedroom door. When police forced entry, they found Roberts lying on his bed, wet as if he had recently showered, with a cut on his right hand wrapped in a black bandana.
During a search of the property, investigators discovered blood in the backyard and eventually found Capps’ body inside a toolbox. The medical examiner determined she had suffered more than 90 stab wounds to her head, face, and neck.
Forensic evidence links Roberts to the murder
Investigators collected extensive forensic evidence at the scene. A metal shard believed to be the tip of a knife was removed from the victim’s skull. Police later found a black folding knife with a broken tip and dried blood in Roberts’ room, along with bloodstained clothing in an outside trash can.
Laboratory analysis confirmed that the metal shard matched the broken blade recovered from Roberts’ room. DNA testing by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science linked both Roberts and Capps to the knife, discarded clothing, and blood stains throughout the home.
Maximum sentence imposed
Following a three-day trial in November 2025, a jury found Roberts guilty of first-degree murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony. On sentencing, Judge Stephen C. Mahan imposed a punishment of life imprisonment plus five years, the maximum allowed under state law.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Thomas J. Wright and Gordon C. Ufkes. Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin D. Stolle said the sentence reflects the “extraordinary brutality” of the crime and the overwhelming forensic evidence presented to the jury.
Residents in the Green Cedar Lane neighborhood were shocked by the violent nature of the killing, which authorities described as one of the most disturbing homicides in recent Virginia Beach history.