Hawaii Loa Ridge homicide suspect indicted on murder, identity theft charges
COURTESY HPD
Juan Tejedor Baron, 23, is seen in a mug shot following his extradition to Hawaii from Los Angeles.
A 23-year-old who allegedly killed his 73-year-old lover before encasing his body in cement at a Hawaii Loa Ridge home was indicted by an Oahu grand jury today.
Juan Tejedor Baron, 23, was charged with one count of murder in the second degree, one count of first degree identity theft and two counts of first degree theft, according to a news release from Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm’s office. Baron was extradited to Hawaii from Los Angeles on April 8.
Baron is accused of murdering Gary Ruby, 73, in Ruby’s home and trying to hide the body in a bathtub by covering it in cement topped with coffee grounds. Baron also allegedly assumed control of Ruby’s home and car, and impersonated Ruby to commit those crimes, according to the release.
Murder in the second degree carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
If Baron is proven to have known that Ruby was sixty years of age or older at the time of the alleged murder, he would be eligible for an extended sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Alm’s office.
Identity Theft in the first degree is a class A felony that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and first degree theft is a class B felony that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by Elder Abuse Unit Team Captain Catherine Lowenberg.
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Police questioned Baron and his companion, Scott Hannon, on March 7 at Ruby’s home when police officers performed a welfare check after his brother told HPD he had not heard from Ruby in three weeks.
The two men were not held, but became suspects in the case when Ruby’s body was found March 8.
The two men fled to California, where Baron was later found hiding inside a Greyhound bus scheduled to cross the border into Mexico. Los Angeles police and the U.S. Marshals Service later arrested Hannon but then released him.
Baron confessed to strangling Ruby with a belt and cutting his wrists to stage a suicide. He told police he put Ruby’s body in the tub and covered it with cement, then coffee grounds to hide the smell.
