In court documents, police say suspect confessed to murdering Oahu man, encasing body in concrete
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The 23-year-old suspect behind bars for the gruesome murder of a Hawaii Loa Ridge man confessed to the crime and also admitted to encasing the victim’s body in concrete in an attempt to conceal the crime, police said in court documents released Friday.
Juan Tejedor Baron remains behind bars in California, where he fled earlier this week, and authorities are seeking to extradite him back to Hawaii. He’s facing second-degree murder and theft charges.
This story includes graphic descriptions.
In court documents, police said Baron confessed to fatally choking 73-year-old victim Gary Ruby with a belt after the victim admitted to being HIV positive after the two had had sex.
Baron told police he then dragged the victim’s body to a bathtub in the victim’s Hawaii Loa Ridge home and used a kitchen knife to slit his wrists in an attempt to stage a suicide.
In the documents, police said Baron “discovered bags of concrete in Gary’s garage and filled the bathtub with concrete” to conceal the body. The suspect then allegedly purchased more concrete at a hardware store before covering the mixture with coffee grounds in an attempt to hide the smell.
Baron, who remains behind bars with no bail, did not appear in a Los Angeles court on Friday as scheduled and a judge was alerted that he had a “medical episode.”
Meanwhile, a second man ― 34-year-old Scott Hannon ― was released Thursday from the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after authorities said he was not involved in the crime.
Baron was captured in Anaheim on Wednesday as he allegedly tried to flee to Mexico on a Greyhound.
He was first questioned by police late Monday but then released about 1 a.m. Tuesday ― before authorities discovered the body in the Hawaii Loa Ridge home. Sources say officers then gave him a ride to Waikiki from the scene while detectives were investigating the crime.
There apparently wasn’t enough probable cause at that time to arrest or detain him.
And that allowed him to slip to the airport and jump on a plane for California.
Police were first called to the home on Lelekepue Place on Monday for a welfare check. The victim’s brother told police he hadn’t heard from him in three weeks, after learning he had a new love interest.
When officers arrived, Baron told them that he’d bought the property from the victim five years ago, the court documents said. Baron was also driving the victim’s vehicle, police said. Baron later confessed to police that he’d “planned on fraudulently acquiring” the home and car, the court documents said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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