At the close of another year packed with unpredictable and varied local news, the Independent takes a look back at what residents considered the most important stories of 2023. The Indy delivered updates on local issues, including a murder that stunned the community, conflicts between Laguna Beach Company CEO Mohammed Honarkar and investor group MOM entities, the plight of Emerald Bay Sanctuary and much more.
Tatum Goodwin's family and friends packed the front rows of a small Orange County Superior Courtroom early Monday morning, Nov. 20 to watch as Laguna Beach bartender Dino Fabrizio Rojas-Moreno, accused of killing Goodwin, 27, with a fire extinguisher, entered a not guilty plea to a special circumstances murder charge through one of his defense lawyers, Chris Bou Saeed.