Man pleads guilty to killing woman at Ventura-area motel

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to killing a 61-year-old Oxnard woman at a Port Hueneme motel.

The Ventura County Star reports 38-year-old Peter Dirksen changed his plea to guilty on Tuesday as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

Dirksen is accused of killing Barbara Brattin on July 29.

A housekeeper found Brattin’s body on June 30 in a Port Hueneme motel room.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office says she died from blunt-force trauma to the head.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Tate McCallister says Brattin and Dirksen had known each other for about a month before Brattin’s death.

Dirksen’s lawyer Charles Cassy declined to comment on what his client’s motive was.

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Information from: Ventura County Star, http://venturacountystar.com