A California man has been charged in the killing of a 27-year-old woman who was allegedly beaten with a fire extinguisher before she was found dead, according to authorities.
Following his arrest Wednesday in connection with the death of Tatum Goodwin, Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, “was charged with aggravated murder for beating a 27-year-old woman to death with a fire extinguisher and leaving her body with a sandbag over her head at a nearby construction site ” according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s office on Friday.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Rojas-Moreno’s charges include, “one felony count of murder, one felony count of aggravated special circumstances of murder in the commission of a kidnapping and one felony count of aggravated personal use of a weapon, Fire Extinguisher.”
Goodwin’s body was found by a construction worker in a secluded location near the 200 block of Ocean Avenue in Laguna Beach, California around 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 12 under a chain-link fence, authorities said.
The area was behind the restaurant where she worked, according to local news outlet KABC.
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Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, of Laguna Hills was arrested in connection with the Nov. 15, 2023, slaying of 27-year-old Tatum Goodwin.
Laguna Beach Police Department
Rojas-Moreno allegedly approached Goodwin around 1 a.m. on Nov. 11 while she was near her car in a parking lot near where her body was later found, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
Authorities further alleged that he then assaulted her and dragged her from the parking lot to a “secluded area” behind a movie theater that was under construction.
“Rojas-Moreno is then accused of beating Goodwin to death with a fire extinguisher,” the statement said.
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“It is unclear if Goodwin had a prior relationship with Rojas-Moreno. Rojas-Moreno did not show up for work on the day of the murder after he claimed he was jumped by several men in Santa Ana,” the press release continued.
Goodwin’s family told NBC Los Angeles they were not familiar with Rojas-Moreno.
The Laguna Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday.
As PEOPLE previously reported, Rojas-Moreno was arrested Wednesday by Laguna Beach detectives, assisted by the Newport Beach and Anaheim police departments, according to a press release from the Laguna Beach Police Department. Rojas-Moreno’s bail was set at $1,000,000, according to the statement.
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“Detectives have determined that this is an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the community,” Laguna Beach police added in a statement.
Authorities said at the time that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner’s Department confirmed the identity of the woman as Tatum Goodwin of San Clemente.
A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told NBC News that their office cannot comment on a possible motive for the incident and that the case is still under investigation.
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“The loss of an innocent life is a travesty for the entire community,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “It is heartbreaking that a young woman with a whole future ahead of her had her life ended in such a brutal way and then dismissed as if her life didn’t matter. She was important, and the Orange County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to making sure that justice is served.”
Friends and family remember Goodwin as a kind and loving person. Her mother, Stacy Goodwin-Pitino, told KTLA that “she was just a happy person who would give you the shirt off her back. That’s just the way Tatum was.”
Meanwhile, Marcos Salim Heredi, who owns Carmelita’s Restaurants, where Goodwin worked, has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for her memorial services. On the site, Heredi said Goodwin “was a very hardworking young lady and always had a smile on her face.”
“We are still in disbelief and we don’t want her to be forgotten,” he wrote. “We are trying to raise capital for her memorial services and also help build a memorial in the city so that everyone in the city will never forget our dear friend Tatum.”
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