Man allegedly beat restaurant worker to death with fire extinguisher, covered her head with sandbag
11/20/2023 2:05 pm PST
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (TCD) -- Prosecutors have revealed additional details about 27-year-old Tatum Goodwin's death, alleging that a local bartender fatally struck her with a fire extinguisher and covered her head with a sandbag.
According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, on Sunday, Nov. 12, shortly after 8 a.m., a construction worker discovered Goodwin's remains underneath a chain link fence at a construction site in the 100 block of South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach.
Prosecutors allege that 26-year-old Dino Rojas-Moreno of Laguna Hills assaulted Goodwin in a parking lot near her car at approximately 1 a.m. Investigators believe he then "forcefully dragged her" to an alley behind a movie theater and allegedly beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. She was reportedly discovered near the restaurant where she worked as an assistant manager for several years.
The district attorney's office said investigators do not know if Goodwin had a prior relationship with Rojas-Moreno. On the day of Goodwin's death, he reportedly called off work, stating that he "had been jumped by several men in Santa Ana."
Laguna Beach Police Department detectives arrested Rojas-Moreno Nov. 15 on a murder charge.
Prosecutors charged Rojas-Moreno with one felony count of murder, one felony enhancement of special circumstances of committing the murder in the commission of a kidnapping, and one felony enhancement for the personal use of a weapon.
He remains held without bail and is scheduled for his arraignment on Nov. 20. If convicted, Rojas-Moreno is eligible for the death penalty.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement, "It is heartbreaking that a young woman with her entire future ahead of her had her life ended in such a brutal way and then discarded like her life never matter. She mattered, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring justice is served."
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