PLEA DEAL ADMITTED AS MOORPARK MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO KILLING GIRLFRIEND IN HOTEL ATTACK

A Moorpark man is heading to prison for the death of his girlfriend but he will not be facing a murder charge.

Back in October 2020, police were called to a Moorpark hotel because William Justin Koznar was acting like a maniac in the lobby.

When officers finally gained entry into his room, they found a horror scene where his girlfriend, Sara Marie Goodwin, was lying on the bed unconscious and bleeding.

She later died from her injuries, which an autopsy confirmed were caused by blunt force trauma.

Koznar was originally looking at a murder rap, but prosecutors say they ran into proof difficulties that made a murder conviction tough to secure.

To avoid a potential acquittal, the Ventura County District Attorney's office cut a deal with the defense.

In exchange for pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, Koznar agreed to serve exactly 11 years in state prison.

He also formally admitted that the crime involved great violence and that Sara was particularly vulnerable at the time of the attack.

His sentencing is officially coming up on May 5, 2026, and for Sara’s family, it provides some measure of closure after nearly six years of legal battles.

Legal experts note that voluntary manslaughter typically implies a killing that happened in the heat of passion or during a sudden quarrel rather than with premeditation.

This plea deal ensures a guaranteed prison term and avoids the uncertainty of a jury trial where evidence might have been suppressed or challenged.

Does 11 years feel like justice for a life taken in a hotel room or did he get off too easy with a plea deal?