Man pleads guilty to murder in Hawaii after killing lover and encasing his body in tub

HONOLULU– A man pleaded guilty to murder Monday, about two years after his lover’s decomposing body was found encased in concrete in a bathtub in one of Hawaii’s most exclusive gated communities.

Juan Tejedor Baron, now 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Gary Ruby, 73. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors will not seek life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors will recommend a minimum term of 20 years to the Hawaii Paroling Authority, according to the settlement.

According to court documents, Baron murdered Ruby, poured cement over this body, and planned to fraudulently take ownership of his car and home in the Loa Ridge neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. Property records showed Ruby purchased the home in 2020 for nearly $2.2 million.

Ruby’s decomposing body was exhumed by authorities from a free-standing bath in March 2022, after his brother told police he had not heard from Ruby in weeks. Ruby’s last email to his brother mentioned that he had “met a new love interest named Juan” who was significantly younger, police said.

Police say Baron covered the cement with coffee grounds to mask the odor.

U.S. Marshals and Los Angeles Police arrested Baron after finding him in a crawl space in the back of a Mexico-bound bus in Anaheim, California.

Baron had long wanted to take responsibility, but Baron’s attorneys had uncovered evidence of possible prosecutorial misconduct in the case, attorney Kyle Dowd said.

The plea deal says Baron’s attorneys will withdraw a motion alleging that a former prosecutor in the case showed photographic evidence during presentations to community members, which could have tainted the jury pool.

According to the plea document, Baron is believed to have overstayed his visa. If he is granted parole, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will take custody of Baron and begin removal proceedings. Baron is from Colombia, Dowd said.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Ruby bought the house in 2020, not 2002.