A California man has been arrested for allegedly murdering a young woman whose beaten body was found in an alleyway behind a defunct movie theater and the restaurant where she worked.
Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, was arrested in Laguna Hills Wednesday on a charge of murder in the killing of 27-year-old Tatum Goodwin, the Laguna Beach Police Department announced in a press release.
Rojas-Moreno was identified as the person allegedly responsible for Goodwin’s death based on unspecified “information and evidence” obtained by the police.
“Detectives determined this was an isolated incident, and there is no further threat to the community,” the agency stated.
Officials have not commented on a possible motive for the killing, or said whether the suspect and victim knew each other.
Rojas-Morenos was being held in the Laguna Beach Jail on $1 million bail.
Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, was arrested in Laguna Hills, California, Wednesday on a murder charge. LBPD
Rojas-Moreno is suspected of killing Tatum Goodwin, 27, pictured. Instagram/Orange County Fashion WeekThe suspect’s arrest coincided with a vigil honoring Goodwin, which was held Wednesday night in her hometown of San Clemente and was attended by hundreds of family members and friends.
“The hardest part is she was alone fighting for her life,” Goodwin’s mother, Stacy Goodwin-Pitino, told the station KTLA. “You’re helpless. You can’t do anything.”
Sister Kaylee Goodwin regretted that she was not with Tatum to keep her safe.
“I wasn’t there to protect her,” she said through tears at the vigil. “She didn’t deserve this.”
Goodwin’s battered body was found by a construction worker in an alleyway in Laguna Beach Sunday. KTLA
Goodwin was last seen with friends at a bar Saturday night, after finishing her shift as an assistant manager at Carmelita’s restaurant. Instagram/Madison MoyerGoodwin-Pitino described her slain daughter as “a happy-go-lucky person that would give you the shirt off her back.” Others agreed, saying the 27-year-old was a good friend who was beloved in the tight-knit Laguna Beach community.
A construction worker discovered Goodwin’s body “down in a secluded location” near the 200 block of Ocean Avenue around 8:20 a.m. Sunday.
Police said the body showed signs of trauma consistent with homicide, and detectives found the scene to be “suspicious.”
Friends and family described Goodwin as a kind and generous young woman who was beloved in her community. Instagram/Tatum GoodwinGoodwin’s cause of death has not yet been released.
Goodwin had worked as an assistant manager at Carmelita’s restaurant in Laguna Beach for more than 4 years.
Friends said that after finishing her shift Saturday night, Goodwin joined them first at the nearby Hennessey’s Tavern and then at the Marine Room bar.
Her battered body was found hours later just steps away from her place of work.
