A 26-year-old man was charged Friday with kidnapping and beating to death a San Clemente woman with a fire extinguisher.
Dino Fabrizio Rojasmoreno of Laguna Hills was charged with special circumstances murder during a kidnapping with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. The weapon was a fire extinguisher, the criminal complaint alleges.
Rojasmoreno is accused of killing 27-year-old Tatum Goodwin on Nov. 12. The defendant made his first appearance Friday in court in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana when his arraignment was rescheduled for Monday.
Goodwin’s body was found by a construction worker in a secluded area on Sunday near the 200 block of Ocean Avenue in Laguna Beach.
Rojasmoreno, who is a bartender, allegedly approached the victim in a parking lot near the crime scene about 1 a.m., according to prosecutors. The two worked in the same area, but it was unclear if the defendant was working that evening.
When her body was found, a sandbag had been placed over her head, prosecutors said. Investigators suspect he dragged the victim to the rear of the parking lot and down an alley behind a movie theater that is under construction, where he allegedly beat her to death with the fire extinguisher, prosecutors said.
“This arrest was the result of outstanding police work by our investigations team that worked tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to bring justice to Tatum Goodwin and her family,” said Laguna Beach Police Department Chief Jeff Calvert.
Goodwin was a popular assistant manager at Carmelita’s restaurant in Laguna Beach near the corner of Broadway and Coast Highway. The restaurant staff organized a fundraiser through the online site GoFundMe to benefit her family. A memorial with flowers and candles in her honor was created near the site where she was killed.
Rojas-Moreno’s bail was set at $1 million.
Anyone with information on this killing was asked to call Laguna Beach Police Department Detective Tanner Flagstad at 949-497-0369. Tipsters can also call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.