A Southern California man has been arrested and charged with murder after he allegedly beat a woman to death with a fire extinguisher early Sunday, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, a bartender, is accused of approaching Tatum Goodwin, 27, as she was by her car in a parking lot in Laguna Beach around 1 a.m. and assaulting her, the prosecutor’s office said.
Rojas-Moreno then allegedly dragged the woman to a secluded area behind a movie theater that was under construction and beat her with the fire extinguisher, it said.
It was not clear whether Rojas-Moreno and Tatum had any prior relationship, the district attorney's office said.
A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said she could not comment on a possible motive. The case is still under investigation.
Goodwin’s family members told NBC Los Angeles that they are not familiar with Rojas-Moreno.
Rojas-Moreno is charged with murder, with enhancements of committing the murder in the commission of a kidnapping and for the personal use of a weapon, the district attorney's office said.
The victim's body was found at around 8:20 a.m. Sunday morning at the construction site, the district attorney's office said.
Rojas-Moreno was arrested Wednesday in Laguna Hills, which is near Laguna Beach, and bail was set at $1 million, Laguna Beach police said in a statement.
"Detectives determined this was an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the community," the police department said in the statement Wednesday.
Online court records did not show an attorney for Rojas-Moreno Friday night. An arraignment is scheduled for Monday, the district attorney's office said.
