HONOLULU – Two men sought as suspects in the murder of a Hawaii man who was found dead in a concrete-filled bathtub were arrested in Southern California, police said.
Juan Tejedor Baron, 23, and Scott Hannon, 34, were taken into custody Wednesday by a US Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Baron was reportedly in a relationship with the 73-year-old murder victim, Honolulu police said in a statement.
At approximately 2:18 pm Hawaii time, US Marshals and Los Angeles Police arrested Baron on a Greyhound bus in Anaheim, CA that was bound for Mexico. Baron was found hiding in a crawl space under an enclosed bench at the rear of the bus. Baron had pulled back a metal plate near the bus’s rear bathroom and crawled under the enclosed bench seat.
At approximately 3:44 pm Hawaii time, US Marshals and Los Angeles Police arrested Hannon near the intersection of West Manchester Blvd and South Oak St in Inglewood, CA.
Both suspects were booked into the Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Detention Center. Charges are pending.
– Honolulu Police Department
Baron and Hannon were wanted on second-degree murder charges after the decomposing body of the Honolulu homeowner was discovered inside a bathtub filled with a “concrete-like substance,” Honolulu police said.
Prior to being apprehended in California, police said Baron and Hannon were last seen Tuesday near the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The deceased homeowner found entombed in concrete was identified as Gary L. Ruby, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Police first went to Ruby’s home after his brother said he hadn’t heard from him in a month. Baron said he lived with Ruby, but officers believe he was just a visitor. Baron has a residence in Texas, while Hannon had a last known address in Massachusetts, police told KITV.
Police said in a prior press release:
On March 7, 2022 at about 10:30 a.m., patrol officers were sent to conduct a welfare check at the victim’s residence located at 357 Lelekepue Place on Hawaii Loa Ridge. Based on the initial investigation, a missing person case was opened. Later that day, detectives spoke with a male, 23, who claimed to be in a relationship with the victim and reside at the residence. The male allowed detectives to search the home, but the victim was not located. While at the home, detectives observed that there was a bathroom tub filled with a concrete-type substance. They also saw the first male leave the home with a second male, 34.
– Honolulu Police Department
The investigation was transferred to homicide detectives. They returned to the residence Tuesday and discovered a decomposing body believed to be Ruby from the concrete-filled bathtub.
Police said coffee grounds were scattered atop the concrete, likely an attempt to mask the strong odor of Ruby’s decomposing body, police told Hawaii News Now.
Official identification of the body believed to be Ruby remains pending. Typically, the medical examiner’s office is able to identify a homicide victim within a day, KITV reported.
However, that notification did not come Wednesday, and it may not come for several days since the decomposing body was encased in cement.
