Hawaii man, 23, arrested for strangling 73-year-old lover and encasing his body in concrete
Finding came after victim’s concerned family asked for a welfare check
A 23-year-old Hawaii man who authorities believe is responsible for strangling his 73-year-old lover to death has been arrested after his alleged victim’s remains were found encased in concrete.
The Honolulu Police Department said Juan Tejedor Baron was awaiting extradition to Hawaii from California last week following his 9 March arrest at a Greyhound bus terminal not far from Los Angeles.
He has now been charged on four counts, including second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree theft, and one count of first-degree identity theft in connection to the death of Gary Ruby on or before 7 March.
Mr Baron, according to 10 March charging documents seen by Law&Crime, was thought to have strangled Mr Ruby at his home in Loa Ridge, Hawaii, after having sex and “became angry after Gary informed Baron that Gary was HIV positive”.
“Baron stated that soon after, 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,” the affidavit states. “Baron then dragged Gary to the bathtub and used a kitchen knife to slit Gary’s wrists”.
In an attempt at hiding his lover’s body, Mr Baron then found a concrete mixture in Mr Ruby’s garage and purchased more to fill the bathtub and conceal the remains, which were topped with coffee grounds to conceal any foul odour from the decomposing body.
When officers from the Honolulu Police Department arrived to conduct a welfare check on Mr Baron at the request of his brother on 8 March, police allegedly found a security guard and Mr Baron at the property.
His brother told police he had not heard from the victim for about three weeks, and was last told that he had a “new love interest named Juan” who was “significantly younger than Gary”.
Mr Baron informed police that he had in fact purchased the property from Mr Ruby five years ago, before leaving the address “with a second male” who has since been identified as Scott Hannon, 34.
He was later arrested and released after investigators determined no connection to the death of Mr Ruby.
By the time police arrived to search Mr Ruby’s home the following day on 8 March, the 23-year-old Mr Baron had fled to California and the bathtub was found, with Mr Ruby’s remains confirmed by a medical examiner.
Mr Baron was located on a Greyhound bus in Anaheim, California, on 9 March that was bound for Mexico and “was found hiding in a crawl space under an enclosed bench at the rear of the bus”.
It was not clear if he had a lawyer, although reports suggest he had waived his right to remain silent and consented to a Mirandized interview.