U.S. News
California “party mom” hit with 63 charges for boozy teen parties
By CM Chaney · November 1, 2023
In brief…
- Shannon O'Connor indicted on 63 total charges related to underage parties in California
- Additional allegations include providing alcohol to minors and facilitating nonconsensual acts
- Parties involved O'Connor's sons and other teens from Los Gatos High School
- O'Connor arrested in Idaho in 2021, remains in custody on no-bail order
- Defense likely to claim acts were consensual; prosecutors say teens were too intoxicated
More than 60 additional charges have been filed against Shannon O’Connor, the California “party mom” accused of facilitating sexual encounters between minors during alcohol-fueled gatherings at her $4.7 million Los Gatos home.
O’Connor, 49, was initially charged with 12 felonies and 27 misdemeanors related to the parties, which prosecutors say involved boys and girls as young as 13.
A grand jury has now indicted O’Connor on a total of 63 charges, including 20 felonies and 43 misdemeanors. The new allegations include aiding the sexual penetration of an intoxicated minor and encouraging drunken joyriding. If convicted, O’Connor faces potentially decades in prison.
According to court documents, O’Connor hosted parties stocked with liquor and encouraged teens to drink to unconsciousness. She hand-picked female guests, rejecting some for not being “pretty enough” or willing to “put out.” O’Connor also allegedly helped minors sneak out to attend the parties and pushed a boy into a room with an intoxicated girl, providing him with a condom.
During a 2020 New Year’s Eve party with intoxicated 14-year-olds, O’Connor allegedly watched and laughed as a boy sexually battered a girl. In another incident, she brought a drunk teen into a bedroom where he assaulted an intoxicated 14-year-old.
The alleged victims were students at Los Gatos High School, including O’Connor’s two sons. O’Connor, who was living in Idaho when arrested in 2021, allegedly used her phone to search for topics related to young teens and sex.
According to the mother of one victim, the new charges are welcome news.
“She’s a menace to society and is clearly unwell,” the mother said of O’Connor. “The more that comes out about her predatory ways, the better.”
O’Connor’s defense will likely argue the encounters were consensual, while prosecutors say she knew the minors were too intoxicated to consent. The additional charges followed testimony from 17 teenagers before the grand jury. O’Connor denies the allegations and remains in custody on a no-bail order.