A Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge today sentenced a Los Gatos woman to 35 years and 10 months in prison, the maximum allowed, for hosting drunken parties for young teenagers where she bought alcohol and encouraged sex acts – some with teens too drunk to consent.
Shannon O’Connor, 52, was convicted in March on dozens of felony and misdemeanor charges: for bringing vodka and Fireball whiskey, providing condoms and discouraging teens from telling their parents or police about the parties – or calling for help when one of the victims passed out in their own vomit. The teens at these parties were mostly 14- and 15-years old.
The incidents occurred during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic. O’Connor has been in jail since her arrest in 2021.
Today’s sentence followed two days of testimony from the victims, including one young woman who told the court she became suicidal from the trauma.
After the verdict, District Attorney Jeff Rosen thanked the victims and their parents, the Los Gatos Police Department, prosecutors and Investigator Christina Hanks for the successful prosecution.
“Many people call this defendant the ‘Los Gatos Party Mom,’ he said. “This isn’t some fun parent giving sips of wine spritzers to kids. She facilitated dangerous and drunken sex acts with these children. She risked their lives and damaged their psyches. She is not a party mom. Shannon O’Connor is a convicted felon. Shannon O’Connor is a registered sex offender.”
According to prosecutors, the child abuse charges outline two years of O’Connor’s drunken and destructive parties hosted for teens at her home. She warned the victims not to disclose the parties or she could go to jail. At one party, O’Connor handed an underaged teenager a condom and pushed him into a room with an intoxicated minor.
During a New Year’s Eve party with about five 14-year-olds, the defendant watched and laughed as a drunk teen sexually battered a young girl in bed, according to testimony in the case.. In another instance, the defendant brought one drunk teen into a bedroom, where an intoxicated 14-year-old girl was lying in the bed. After she was assaulted, the victim said to the defendant: “Why did you leave me in there with him? Like, you knew like what he was going to do to me.”
In some cases, O’Connor would Snapchat or text teens to leave their homes in the middle of the night and drink at her house. She would provide the alcohol, according to prosecutors.
In another case, she let a minor drive her SUV in the Los Gatos High School parking lot while two other teens held on to the back. One fell off and was knocked unconscious.
