Dino Rojas Moreno arrested in suspicion of murder of Tatum Goodwin assistant restaurant manager after leaving work and going for drinks. No known motive.
California police have arrested a male suspect in the murder of a Laguna Beach restaurant/bar worker over the weekend.
Dino Rojas Moreno, 26, of Laguna Hills was on Wednesday evening booked in the murder of 27-year-old Tatum Goodwin. Bail was set at $1 million.
‘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 Chief Jeff Calvert according to a press release.
Victim’s body showed signs of trauma consistent with homicide
The Laguna Beach Police Department started their investigation on Sunday after a construction worker discovered Goodwin’s body in a dirt lot behind an old movie theater in the 200 block of Ocean Avenue.
Police said the body showed signs of trauma consistent with homicide, and detectives found the scene to be ‘suspicious.’
Goodwin was last seen alive after ending her shift at the restaurant Carmelita’s at about 11 p.m. Saturday night. The 27 year old hospitality worker had worked as an assistant manager at the Laguna Beach venue 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.
Did victim know murder suspect?
‘Saturday night, we were working, closing our shift. Normally we park around the building and that’s where, normally, we all walk to our cars,’ one coworker previously said, noting that she had parked her car in the nearby US Bank parking lot, where many of them usually park. ‘We were all planning to go to Hennessey’s, but I mean like, at the end, everybody decided to go separate ways.’
Detectives said that Goodwin’s death was an isolated incident and do not believe there is any further threat to the community.
Officials have not commented on a possible motive for the killing, or said whether the suspect and victim knew each other.
The 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 KTLA. ‘You’re helpless. You can’t do anything.’
Goodwin’s cause of death has not yet been released.
