Family Confronts Killer Who Encased Lover in Cement in Bathtub: ‘You Buried Him Alive’

A man in Hawaii who admitted to killing his lover and hiding the body in a bathtub filled with concrete has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Juan Baron, a 26-year-old Colombian national, pleaded guilty to the murder of 73-year-old Gary Ruby, who was killed sometime between January 19 and March 7, 2022, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, citing law enforcement sources.

Baron told authorities that he murdered Ruby after the older man disclosed he was HIV-positive, according to an arrest warrant previously obtained by PEOPLE. He reportedly strangled Ruby with a belt, dragged the body into a bathtub, and cut the victim’s wrist in an apparent attempt to stage the death as a suicide.

Baron later admitted to police that he used bags of concrete found in the garage to entomb Ruby’s body in the tub. To try to mask the odor, he poured coffee grounds over the setting cement, the warrant stated.

Following the murder, Baron fled Hawaii with a friend. He was eventually arrested in California, where authorities found him hiding inside a crawl space on a bus bound for Mexico.

Though the exact timeline remains unclear, investigators say that after Ruby’s death, Baron continued living in his $1.2 million home and drove the victim’s Audi A6, pretending it was his. He also told officers he intended to “fraudulently acquire” the home by forging documents, according to the arrest warrant.

Judge Cathy Remigo sentenced Baron to additional charges, including two counts of theft and one count of identity theft, for stealing from Ruby after his death, Island News reported. The Hawaii Paroling Authority will determine the minimum number of years he must serve before he becomes eligible for parole.

Members of Ruby’s family attended the sentencing and spoke about his life and the tragedy of his final moments, Hawaii News Now reported. They described his love of literature, theater, and fine arts.

“The medical examiner found particles of cement in my uncle’s lungs,” said Ruby’s niece during the hearing. “I have to live knowing that he was still breathing when you poured cement on him. You have to live with that too, Mr. Baron. What a horrific way to die.”

“You buried him alive,” added Gary Ruby’s brother, Lorne Ruby. “It was not enough for you to murder him. You inflicted horrible, unnecessary suffering upon him. How cold, how cruel, how inhumane, how evil such an act.”