Gruesome new details have emerged in the death of a 27-year-old woman who police say was brutally beaten to death with a fire extinguisher before her body was dumped in an alley behind an abandoned movie theater.
Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, was charged Friday in the slaying of Tatum Goodwin, whose badly beaten body was found by a construction worker on Nov. 12 near Carmelita’s restaurant in Laguna Beach where he worked.
“His body was under a chain-link fence at the construction site and a sandbag had been placed over his head,” prosecutors revealed in a new court filing obtained by KTLA.
Rojas-Moreno, who was arrested in Laguna Hills on Wednesday in connection with the murder, worked as a bartender at the nearby Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill, according to the Orange County Register.
Rojas-Moreno has been accused of using a fire extinguisher as a weapon in Goodwin’s murder, which he allegedly committed “in the commission and attempt to commit the crime of kidnapping,” according to a filing Friday in Orange County Superior Court.
Tatum Goodwin, 27, was found dead by a construction worker in an alley in Laguna Beach, California on November 12. Instagram/Orange County Fashion Week
According to the filing, Rojas-Moreno first approached Goodwin in the parking lot around 1 a.m. and attacked him near his parked car.
“Rojas-Moreno then forcefully dragged her to the back of the parking lot, down a short alley, and into a secluded area behind a movie theater under construction,” prosecutors said, where the brutal beating allegedly took place.
Later that day when Rojas-Moreno failed to show up for work, she claimed she was “jumped” by two men in Santa Ana, prosecutors said.
While they both worked at restaurants in the same city, it’s unclear whether Rojas-Moreno and Goodwin knew each other.
Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, was arrested in Laguna Hills, Calif., Wednesday on charges of murder. LBPD Goodwin’s beaten body was found by a construction worker behind an old movie theater and restaurant where he worked.KTLA
Orange County DA Todd Spitzer called the brutal killing “a disgrace to the entire community.”
“It is heartbreaking that a young woman with her whole future ahead of her had her life ended in such a cruel way and then dismissed as if her life never mattered. He is important, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is committed to making sure justice is served.”
The suspect’s arrest coincided with a vigil in Goodwin’s honor, held Wednesday night in his hometown of San Clemente and attended by hundreds of family members and friends.
“The hardest part is that he’s alone fighting for his life,” Goodwin’s mother, Stacy Goodwin-Pitino, told KTLA. “You are helpless. You can’t do anything.”
His grieving sister Kaylee Goodwin expressed regret that she was not with Tatum to keep him safe.
Goodwin has worked as an assistant manager at Carmelita’s restaurant for more than 4 years. Instagram/Tatum Goodwin A vigil was held Wednesday for Goodwin in his hometown of San Clemente. Instagram/Kirra Kelsey
“I wasn’t there to protect him,” she said through tears at the vigil. “He doesn’t deserve this.”
Rojas-Moreno will be arraigned on Monday. He is being held without bond.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
