Gary Ruby, 73, purchased a multi-million dollar home in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2020, with aspirations of living out his days in tropical paradise. But the island homeowner’s dreams were reportedly cut short earlier this year when his 23-year-old lover murdered him and tried to steal his identity.
What happened?
A welfare check requested last week by Ruby’s brother, Lorne, turned up a horrifying discovery: Ruby’s dead body lying in a bathtub with slit wrists, covered by concrete and coffee grounds, KGMB-TV reported.
Lorne had reportedly told officers he hadn’t heard from his brother for three weeks after he announced he had a new love interest named Juan, 50 years his junior. Sure enough, it was 23-year-old Juan Tejedor Baron who answered the door and introduced himself as the homeowner when police arrived to investigate.
Baron was arrested in Anaheim, California, on Wednesday as he allegedly tried to flee to Mexico on a Greyhound bus. Officers reportedly found him hiding in a crawl space under an enclosed bench near the back of the bus, according to a Honolulu police news release.
The suspect was apparently detained on Monday, March 7, following the initial welfare check but was released the following day due to a lack of probable cause. Following his release, Baron set off to flee the country.
Authorities have charged Baron with second-degree murder and first-degree identity theft charges and are now attempting to extradite him back to Hawaii. Police said he not only murdered his supposed lover but tried to claim ownership of his Loa Ridge home and Audi sedan after his death.
What are the details?
In court documents, police said Baron confessed to the murder and admitted that he dragged Ruby’s body to the bathtub and covered it in concrete in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Baron reportedly told police he had become angry with Ruby after being informed that he was HIV-positive following sex. Later, upon seeing Ruby choking on some food, Baron said he took a belt and tightened it around Ruby’s neck until he lost consciousness.
Baron then reportedly placed Ruby’s body in the bathtub and covered it in some concrete he found in the home’s garage. When that wasn’t enough, he went to Lowe’s to buy more. To control the smell, Baron said he dumped coffee grounds in the tub.
Friends of Ruby’s later told KHON-TV that they doubted Baron’s story about Ruby having HIV.
It wasn’t immediately clear how long had passed since Ruby’s death. But Honolulu resident Kai Johnson told KGMB that he met Baron on Tinder about a month before his arrest. Johnson added that he and some friends even visited the Loa Ridge home at Baron’s request a couple of times.
He recalled there was one room in the house that was always locked, and remembered Baron telling him, “You can’t go in it.”
Hawaii Loa Ridge murder suspect confesses to LA detectives www.youtube.com