Every day without an arrest seemed like forever, but police arrested local bartender Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, in the brutal murder of Tatum Goodwin. He has pleaded not guilty. A pretrial court appearance is scheduled for late January.
Rojas-Moreno lives in Laguna Hills but was known in Laguna Beach. He had bounced around as a bartender and currently worked at the Royal Hawaiian as a manager. He also did a stint at Cabana when it first opened before being let go.
Local businesswoman Heidi Miller remembers him – vividly – and said something seemed off about him. Miller would park in the same parking lot as Rojas-Moreno, so they would bump into each other.
“When I saw his picture after the arrest, I can’t even tell you, my heart just sank. It just sank,” Miller said. “He would often park next to my car, and we would sometimes talk. He was a little odd. There was a coldness and non-responsiveness about him. It was kind of eerie.”
While the family and a rattled community can now have some closure after the arrest, questions remain about Goodwin’s last hours.
Police have released very few details about the events surrounding her death, but friends and colleagues have filled in some gaps. And by no means is this a complete picture.
Goodwin, 27, of San Clemente, got off work Saturday night at Carmelita’s, where she had been employed for four years and was an assistant manager. Some co-workers were going to meet up with her at Hennessey’s but ended up not going. Goodwin apparently met up with some other friends instead.
At some point, she was also at the Marine Room. Owner Chris Keller said Goodwin had one drink before 11 p.m. then left. On Monday, police would retrieve her cell phone there after someone turned it into security.
What happened to her friends remains a mystery, but according to sources, she left the bars, distraught, sometime after midnight.
Later, a downtown resident told police he heard screaming by the parking lot of the nearby US Bank, where Goodwin had parked. That whole area is very dark because of ongoing construction work.
According to the Orange Country District Attorney, Rojas-Moreno is accused of approaching Goodwin in the parking lot around 1 a.m. and assaulting her near her parked car.
“Rojas-Moreno then forcefully dragged her to the rear of the parking lot, down a short alley, and to a secluded area behind a movie theatre that was under construction,” the DA said. “Rojas-Moreno is then accused of beating Goodwin to death with a fire extinguisher.”
Goodwin’s body was found by a worker on Sunday, Nov. 12, at about 8:20 a.m.
Dwaine Goodwin, the victim’s grandfather, said before the arrest that the family is devastated by the news.
“My granddaughter, she is and was a sweet loving young lady,” he said. “Our sincere hope and wish is for the authorities (to) capture the individual responsible for this heinous crime. Tatum did not deserve to be murdered, she was an honest and hardworking individual.”
Tatum’s father, Dwaine Goodwin, Jr., posted similar sentiments on social media.
“Our family has suffered a great loss,” he wrote. “Tatum Lee Goodwin, my 27-year-old daughter, is no longer with us and is in God’s hands now. Some of you have already found out, some of you are just finding out, about this tragedy. Please keep us all in your prayers at this moment in time and thank you all for your kind wishes and prayers.”
Tatum’s sister, Kaylee Goodwin, also posted her feelings: “On Sunday I lost my sister Tatum Goodwin. She was taken from this world by someone evil. And I will never feel or be okay. My world is shattered. My family is shattered. I’m grieving and it’s so hard to see life after this.”
So many things went wrong, and so many questions need to be answered at the right time:
There were concerns about Rojas-Moreno before the murder from fellow co-workers at the Royal Hawaiian. Several spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution that Rojas-Moreno was volatile and abusive.
According to witnesses, more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles surrounded the Reata Oakbrook Village complex on Avenida De La Carlota in Laguna Hills Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 15, and police tackled Rojas-Moreno when he left his apartment.
The district attorney has charged Rojas-Moreno with one felony count of murder, one felony enhancement of special circumstances of committing the murder in the commission of a kidnapping, and one felony enhancement for the personal use of a weapon, a fire extinguisher.
Rojas-Moreno is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
He is being held without bail. Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Moore of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case. Rojas-Moreno’s attorney is Christopher Bou Saeed.
On Nov. 20, Rojas-Moreno pleaded not guilty in Orange County Superior Court. A pretrial court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 30 at 8:30 a.m.
Police say this was an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the community.
“The loss of an innocent life is a travesty for the entire community,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer in a statement. “It is heartbreaking that a young woman with her entire future ahead of her had her life ended in such a brutal way and then discarded like her life never matter. She mattered, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring justice is served.”
To help with the family, you can donate using a GoFundMe page set up by the owner of Carmelita’s, https://gofund.me/a0ce0c27.
