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Suspect Allegedly Confesses To Killing Elderly Lover, Encasing Body In Concrete
Juan Tejedor Baron said he used a belt to murder Gary Ruby after the victim revealed he was HIV positive, according to authorities.
New details are coming to light in the murder of an elderly man found dead in a concrete-filled bathtub.
Juan Tejedor Baron, 23, and Scott Hannon, 34, were arrested on Wednesday following a manhunt that began in Hawaii and ended in California, as previously reported. Now, Baron has allegedly confessed to brutally killing Gary Ruby, 73, at the victim’s upscale Honolulu home, as detailed in court documents obtained by Law&Crime.
Scott Hannon was released from custody on Thursday after “it was determined that he was not involved in the murder of the victim,” Honolulu police announced.
Authorities say Baron confessed to killing Ruby — with whom he had an intimate relationship — because he was angry when Ruby revealed he was HIV positive.
“Baron stated that soon after [that disclosure], he noticed Gary choked on food, and Baron reacted by placing a belt around Gary’s neck and tightening the belt until Gary lost consciousness,” according to the arrest affidavit. “Baron then dragged Gary to the bathtub and used a kitchen knife to slit Gary’s wrists in an effort to stage a suicide.”
Authorities stated Baron went into Ruby’s garage and found bags of concrete, which he used to encase Ruby’s body in the bathtub. Baron also purchased four additional bags of concrete from a Lowe’s hardware store and added a layer of coffee grounds atop the cement in an attempt to conceal the odor of decomposition, police said.
On the morning of March 7, Ruby’s brother, Lorne Ruby, contacted authorities and requested they conduct a welfare check when he hadn’t heard from his brother in three weeks, according to court records. Lorne mentioned Baron was Gary’s “new love interest,” noting the 50-year age gap between them.
Authorities found Baron at Gary Ruby’s residence. He allegedly told officers he was in a relationship with Ruby and had purchased the $1.1 million home from Ruby five years prior. When the property’s security guard contested Baron’s claims by pointing out Ruby bought the home in 2020, Baron allegedly changed his story and said Ruby signed over the deed to the house two years earlier.
Investigators said Baron, along with his visitor, Hannon, left the property in a gold 2020 Audi valued at $63,000, according to the documents. Baron later claimed he got it at a car dealership in North Carolina, but investigators learned Ruby owned the car and transferred it over to Baron’s name in February.
“At the conclusion of the interview, Baron admitted that he planned on fraudulently acquiring Gary’s home and 2020 Audi,” the affidavit stated. “Baron further admitted that he subsequently went to the Department of Motor Vehicles, forged the Audi ownership papers, and fraudulently obtained a title to the 2020 Audi on Feb. 7, 2022.”
One of Baron’s acquaintances, Kai Johnson, told Hawaii News Now there may have been signs showing something was off in the weeks and days preceding the discovery of Ruby’s body.
“There was one room that — he never tried to go into, but was like, ‘Oh yeah, that room’s always locked. You can’t go in it,’” said Johnson.
Johnson claimed he met Baron on Tinder, and that Baron enjoyed the nightlife and always offered to pay. Baron’s friends indicated to Johnson that he was a creative financial advisor whose parents were well off.
“Almost every night, he was asking us to go out to bars and stuff, and he was the one who was always paying for it,” said Johnson. “It was probably the other — like the victim’s card he was using.”
On March 9, the U.S. Marshals and the LAPD arrested Baron in Anaheim, California. The suspect was found hiding in a “crawl space under an enclosed bench at the rear of the bus.” According to Honolulu police, the bus was headed for Mexico.
Baron was arrested in California and is awaiting extradition back to Hawaii. He is charged with one count of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree theft, and one count of first-degree identity theft.
Arrest records show he’s being held without bail and is expected to appear in court on April 13.
