VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A 41-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for murdering a woman and putting her body in a toolbox in 2020, according to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney Office.
On Oct. 8, 2020, Virginia Beach police arrived at a home on Green Cedar Lane after a call from a husband who could not find his wife, Cynthia Capps, after taking a shower. The man called police after finding a drop of blood on their kitchen floor.
Police were told the family rented a room to a man named Hagen Roberts. When police tried to enter his room, it was locked. They found Roberts lying in bed when they broke down the door.
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Man charged with murder after woman found dead in Virginia Beach
"He appeared to be wet from recently taking a shower and had a cut on his right hand that was wrapped in a black bandana," the CAO wrote.
Police found blood stains in the backyard when they searched the property. They then found Capps dead in a toolbox with injuries to her head and face.
Capps had been stabbed over 90 times on the head, neck and face, according to the Chief Medical Examiner.
A metal shard was found in Capps' skull, which matched a black folding knife with a broken tip covered in dried blood in Roberts' room. Police also found blood-covered clothes in an outside trashcan and blood stains throughout the home, according to the CAO.
DNA from both Capps and Roberts was found on all three pieces of evidence, the CAO wrote.
Roberts was found guilty of first-degree murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony after a three-day trial on Nov. 20. On Wednesday, Roberts was sentenced to life plus five years in prison, which is the maximum sentence, according to the CAO.
