Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, was charged Friday with special circumstances murder during a kidnapping with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. The weapon was a fire extinguisher, the criminal complaint alleges.
[Ads /]
According to a criminal complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court, Rojas-Moreno is accused of using a fire extinguisher as a weapon in her killing, which he allegedly committed "in the commission and attempted commission of the crime of kidnapping."
RELATED: Man arrested for murder in death of 27-year-old woman in Laguna Beach
Man arrested for murder in death of 27-year-old woman in Laguna Beach
The defendant made his first appearance Friday in court in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana when his arraignment was rescheduled for Monday.
Goodwin, a San Clemente resident, was found dead by a construction worker Sunday morning in a secluded area behind the restaurant where she worked, authorities said. Whether she and the suspect knew each other remains unclear.
Rojas-Moreno, who is a bartender, allegedly approached the victim in a parking lot near the crime scene about 1 a.m., according to prosecutors. The two worked in the same area, but it was unclear if the defendant was working that evening.
When her body was found, a sandbag had been placed over her head, prosecutors said. Investigators suspect he dragged the victim to the rear of the parking lot and down an alley behind a movie theater that is under construction, where he allegedly beat her to death with the fire extinguisher, prosecutors said.
RELATED: Woman, 27, found dead in alley near OC restaurant where she worked
Woman, 27, found dead in alley near OC restaurant where she worked
Rojas-Moreno was taken into custody by members of three local police agencies Wednesday in Laguna Hills. Rojas-Moreno is being held without bail.
"Detectives determined this was an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the community," police said in a statement.
[Ads /]
City News Service contributed to this report.