In a horrifying case that shocked Hawaii and the nation, a 26-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison after strangling his older partner, placing his body in a bathtub, and covering it with cement while he was still alive. The crime took place in 2022 at the victim’s luxury mansion in Honolulu.
What Happened to Gary Ruby?
Gary Ruby, a 73-year-old retired man, lived in a multimillion-dollar home on Hawaii Loa Ridge. In early March 2022, his brother became worried after not hearing from him for three weeks and called for a welfare check.
When police arrived at the home on March 7, 2022, they met Juan Baron, who claimed he had bought the house from Ruby five years earlier. But police quickly found holes in his story, since Ruby had only purchased the home two years before.
The Shocking Discovery in the Bathtub
A deeper search of the home revealed a chilling scene: a bathtub filled with cement, topped with coffee grounds to cover the smell. Beneath the cement was Gary Ruby’s body.
An autopsy later revealed that Gary was still alive when the cement was poured, with particles of cement found in his lungs—a horrifying detail that left the family devastated.
What Did Juan Baron Do?
Baron fled Hawaii after the discovery but was caught two days later in Anaheim, California, hiding under a bench on a bus heading to Mexico.
When questioned by detectives, Baron admitted to killing Gary Ruby. He said the two had been intimate, and that he got angry after Ruby revealed he was HIV positive. Baron then strangled him using a belt, tried to stage a suicide by cutting his wrists, and eventually encased the body in cement in the bathtub.
He also hacked into Ruby’s social media accounts after the murder to impersonate him online, further distressing the victim’s family.
Sentenced to Life in Prison
On August 7, 2025, Baron was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years, after pleading guilty to:
Second-degree murder
First-degree theft
Identity theft
He will also be deported to Colombia if released in the future.
During the sentencing hearing, Gary Ruby’s relatives delivered emotional statements. His brother said, “You buried him alive… How cruel, how inhumane, how evil such an act.”
His niece, appearing via Zoom, added, “The cement in his lungs shows he was still alive… You have to live with that, Mr. Baron.”
