The bartender arrested in the death of a Laguna Beach restaurant employee was charged with murder on Friday, Nov. 17, and prosecutors announced that he used a fire extinguisher to kill 27-year-old Tatum Lee Goodwin.
Dino Fabrizio Rojas-Moreno, 26, is facing one count of first-degree murder with sentencing enhancements of using a deadly weapon and murder during the commission of another felony — in this case, kidnapping.
Rojas-Moreno made an initial court appearance on Friday but did not enter a plea and is scheduled to return to court on Monday. He is being held without the possibility of bail.
Rojas-Moreno approached Goodwin in a parking lot around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Nov.12 and assaulted her near her parked car before forcefully dragging her down a short alley to a secluded area at a construction site by the old Laguna Beach movie theater in the 200 block of Ocean Avenue, according to a statement by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Rojas-Moreno then beat Goodwin to death with a fire extinguisher, leaving her body under a chain link fence in the construction site with a sandbag placed over her head, prosecutors said.
A construction worker discovered Goodwin’s body in the secluded location several hours later, around 8:20 a.m.
Rojas-Moreno failed to show up for work the day after the killing, prosecutors added, claiming he had been jumped by several men in Santa Ana.
The special circumstances murder charge gives prosecutors the option of pursuing either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Authorities say it is unclear whether Goodwin had any prior relationship with Rojas-Moreno.
Goodwin’s friend and neighbor Georgette Schuda said Rojas-Moreno had no prior relationship or direct connection to Goodwin.
Rojas-Moreno reportedly was employed at The Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill in Laguna Beach. He also previously worked as a bar lead at the Cabana Restaurant and Beach Club, an upscale Mexican dining restaurant about a three-minute walk from Carmelita’s, where Goodwin worked as a server and bartender.
Cabana manager Jose Gutierrez said Rojas-Moreno worked for three to four weeks in the early fall before being let go.
Editor’s note: A construction worker found Goodwin’s body in the morning. The time of day has been corrected.
