Lemuel Roberts, 34, of Winchester, was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by a Virginia jury of first-degree murder for stabbing his ex-wife to death in January 2020.
The nearly two-week trial wrapped up on Thursday for Lemuel Lee Roberts who was accused of killing his ex-wife, Kaitlin Nichole Roberts, 31.
Kaitlin Roberts’ body was found in Frederick on Jan. 11, 2020, in the area of English Muffin Court and English Muffin Way.
According to Deputy State’s Attorney Kirsten Brown, Kaitlin Roberts, who had children with Lemuel Roberts, was killed hours before her body was found.
Her body had 32 stab wounds and she had “sharp force injuries” to her face, court documents stated.
Frederick County Circuit Court Judge Julie Stevenson Solt has scheduled the sentencing for April 21.
What did the wife do?
Brown told the jury Thursday during her closing arguments that Lemuel Roberts was losing control over Kaitlin Roberts, which filled him with enough rage that he killed her.
“She didn’t need him, and there was no way he was going to stand for that,” Brown said.
Lemuel Roberts’ rage could be seen by his violent acts against Kaitlin Roberts, Brown said.
“To stab someone 32 times, that’s rage,” she said.
Further, the lawyer said that Lemuel Roberts constantly changed his story about what happened. For example, he gave three different versions of where he was the night of the crime, Brown said.
“Kaitlin can’t speak for herself, but the evidence can,” Brown said.
She took jurors through the entire timeline of the night of Jan. 10, 2020, as well as the next day. She showed surveillance footage, which lined up with cell records and other data that placed Lemuel Roberts at key places at key times, like the scene where Kaitlin Roberts’ body was found, and a Sunoco gas station dumpster where several items related to the murder were found.
She noted that Lemuel Roberts’ DNA was found on evidence that was discarded in the dumpster. His blood was on those items.
Lemuel and Kaitlin Roberts did share things and lived together at times, Brown said. But, she said, there’s a difference between finding DNA from living with someone and finding DNA from blood in a dumpster after a murder.
“He dug himself a hole,” Brown said. “The evidence has caught up to him.”
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