Photo:Tatum Goodwin / Instagram
Tatum Goodwin / Instagram
A California man has been charged with the murder of a 27-year-old woman who was allegedly beaten with a fire extinguisher before she was found dead, according to authorities.
Per the Orange County D.A.’s Office, Rojas-Moreno’s charges include, “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, a fire extinguisher.”
The area was behind the restaurant where she worked, per local news outletKABC.
Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, of Laguna Hills was arrested in connection with the homicide of 27-year-old Tatum Goodwin on Nov. 15, 2023.Laguna Beach Police Department
Laguna Beach Police Department
Rojas-Moreno had allegedly approached Goodwin at about 1 a.m on Nov. 11, while she was close to her car in a parking lot near to where her body was later found, per the Orange County D.A.’s Office release.
“Rojas-Moreno is then accused of beating Goodwin to death with a fire extinguisher,” the release stated.
Goodwin’s familytold NBC Los Angelesthat they were not familiar with Rojas-Moreno.
Laguna Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday.
“Detectives determined this was an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the community,” Laguna Beach Police added in the statement.
A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office toldNBC Newsthat their office could not comment on a possible motive for the incident and that the case is still under investigation.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“The loss of an innocent life is a travesty for the entire community,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzersaid 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.”
Friends and family remembered Goodwin as a kind and loving person. Her mother Stacy Goodwin-Pitino toldKTLAthat she “was just a happy-go-lucky person that would give you the shirt off her back. That’s who Tatum was.”
“We are still in disbelief and we don’t want her to go unforgotten,” he wrote. “We are attempting to raise capital for her memorial services and also help with creating a memorial in the city, so everyone in town never forgets about our sweet friend Tatum.”
source: people.com
