VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach man who maintained his innocence despite a trail of forensic evidence was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison plus five years for the 2020 stabbing death of his landlady.
Hagen Lawrence Roberts, 41, received the maximum possible sentence for the first-degree murder of Cynthia Capps. The sentencing, announced by the City of Virginia Beach, follows a November 2025 conviction that concluded a five-year investigation sparked by a single drop of blood on a kitchen floor.
The Investigation: A Single Drop of Blood
The case dates back to Oct. 8, 2020, at a residence on Green Cedar Lane. According to prosecutors, Capps’ husband called 911 after emerging from a shower to find his wife missing. His discovery of a lone bloodstain in the kitchen alerted authorities to potential foul play.
Responding Virginia Beach Police Department officers focused their attention on a locked room rented by Roberts. Upon breaching the door, officers discovered Roberts on his bed, appearing to have recently showered, with a black bandana wrapped around a fresh laceration on his hand…