A bartender, identified as Dino Rojas-Moreno, aged 26 from Laguna Hills, California, has been charged with the murder of 27-year-old Tatum Goodwin. Goodwin’s lifeless body was discovered at approximately 8:20 a.m. on a construction site in the 100 block of S. Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, with apparent signs of a brutal beating using a fire extinguisher, her head covered by a sandbag, according to authorities.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office released a statement outlining the alleged events leading to the murder. Rojas-Moreno is accused of assaulting Goodwin in a nearby parking lot around 1 a.m. on the morning in question, subsequently forcibly moving her to a secluded area behind a movie theatre under construction. There, he is alleged to have beaten her to death with a fire extinguisher. Goodwin’s lifeless body was discovered several hours later.
The relationship between Goodwin and Rojas-Moreno, if any, remains unclear. On the day of the murder, Rojas-Moreno failed to show up for work, claiming he had been attacked by multiple individuals in Santa Ana. Authorities have taken him into custody and charged him with one felony count of murder, along with felony enhancements for committing the murder in the course of a kidnapping and for the personal use of a fire extinguisher as a weapon.
Rojas-Moreno is currently being held without bail, and he is scheduled for arraignment on Monday at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. The investigation into the murder is ongoing, with the possibility of the death penalty being considered if Rojas-Moreno is convicted.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer expressed the community’s sorrow over the loss of an innocent life, emphasizing the commitment to ensuring justice is served in this case. Goodwin’s tragic death has sent shockwaves through the community, underscoring the importance of a thorough investigation and a just resolution.