Introduction
-
Jurors return mostly guilty verdicts in Los Gatos “party mom” case.
-
Shannon O’Connor was charged with 63 criminal counts for hosting a party involving minors, including alcohol and sexual activity.
-
O’Connor did not testify during the trial and must now register as a sex offender.
A Santa Clara County jury returned a mostly guilty verdict Wednesday in the case of “party mom” Shannon O’Connor. Shannon O’Connor is a Los Gatos mom accused of hosting a party for underage teens that included alcohol and sex.
Mostly guilty verdicts
what are they talking about
Five people were found not guilty.
But the jury found O’Connor guilty on most of the more than 60 charges against her, including child endangerment and sexual assault of an intoxicated child, the most serious of them. There were more than a dozen victims.
After the verdict was read out, the parent of one of the victims described O’Connor as a “predator”, “stalker”, “beautician” and “molester” who was “remarkable at what she did”.
“After many years and many victims, today justice has been served,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen told reporters outside the court. “It’s been a long wait. It’s been a long trial. There’s been a lot of hardship and pain and suffering, but with the jury’s verdict, today, justice has been served.”
He thanked the child victim in the case for coming forward and accused O’Connor of being a parent himself and taking advantage of children.
O’Connor’s defense attorney, Stephen Prekoski, also spoke.
He said he felt the jury’s verdict was serious, but he was clearly not satisfied.
“This is a disappointing verdict,” Prekoski told reporters outside the courthouse. “This is not the outcome we were hoping for.”
Jury deliberations began Feb. 24 at the San Jose Hall of Justice. The trial lasted about four months.
Underage drinking, sex parties
Why you should care
O’Connor, 51, faces 63 criminal charges, including felony and misdemeanor sex offenses related to hosting alcoholic parties and allowing underage teens to drink alcohol and engage in sexual acts.
Prosecutors spoke with about 13 students who said O’Connor invited them to her home in Los Gatos and encouraged the teens and her son to drink alcohol and engage in sexual activity.
The teen said she tried to hide the gatherings from her husband and neighbors. Prosecutors said O’Connor hosted the parties between 2021 and 2022. Some students said they were victims of sexual misconduct.
Backstory
The Mercury News noted that O’Connor did not testify in her defense.
But she did call the news organization on Dec. 23, 2025, telling The Mercury News that she took some responsibility for the party, but only through the lens of a concerned mother and trying to communicate with the teenagers on their level, trying to encourage them to stay safe while drinking and having sex.
One legal expert noted that Prekoski did not dispute some of the allegations that O’Connor made poor judgment in providing alcohol to underage youths, instead focusing on the felony sex charges.
O’Connor was arrested in 2021 in Ada County, Idaho, where she lived at the time. She was taken to the Santa Clara County Jail, where she has been held ever since.
The convictions also required O’Connor to register as a sex offender.
From a numerical perspective
Here are the details of the verdict:
Guilty:
Count 1 against John Doe 1 Endangering the health of children August 2020
Count 2 Endangering the health of child John Doe 1 June 22, 2020
Count 3: Endangering the health of a child, John Doe, from August 1, 2020 to February 1, 2021
6 counts of endangering the health of child John Doe 4 October 2, 2020 to October 5, 2020
Count 7 Endangering the Health of a Child John Doe 8 October 2, 2020 to October 5, 2020
Count 8 Endangering the Health of a Child John Doe 3 October 2, 2020 to October 5, 2020
9 counts of endangering the health of child Jane Doe 1 October 30, 2020 to October 31, 2020
10 Counts of Endangering the Health of a Child John Doe 5 October 30, 2020 to October 31, 2020
Count 11 Endangering the health of child Jane Doe 4 November 1, 2020 to February 14, 2021
Count 12 Drunk Victim Jane Doe’s Sexual Assault December 11, 2020
Count 48 Count 13 Child endangerment without serious bodily harm Jane Doe 4 December 11, 2020
Count 14 Attempting to dissuade victim from reporting crime John Doe 1 December 19, 2020
Count 15 Endangering the Health of a Child John Doe 2 December 19, 2020
Count 16 Endangering the health of a child Jane Doe 3 December 19, 2020
Count 17 Endangering the Health of a Child John Doe 1 December 31, 2020
Count 18 Sexual Assault of Drunk Victim Jane Doe 3 December 31, 2020
Count 19 Endangering the health of a child Jane Doe 3 December 31, 2020
Counting 60 out of 20 child endangerments, unlikely to cause serious bodily harm Jane Doe 2 February 15, 2021
Count 22 Selling or delivering alcohol to a person under 21 years of age Jane Doe 1 June 1, 2020 to August 1, 2020
Count 24 Selling or delivering alcohol to a person under 21 years of age John Doe 1 August 1, 2020 to February 1, 2021
Item 26 Sale of furniture or provision of alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age John Doe 2 September 18, 2020
Count 28 Selling, giving away, providing alcohol to persons under 21 years of age John Doe 4 October 2, 2020 to October 5, 2020
Count 29 Harassment or Harassment of a Child Under 18 John Doe 1 June 22, 2019 to February 2021
Count 31 Child Endangerment Not Likely to Cause Serious Bodily Injury John Doe October 1, 2020 to February 1, 2021
Count 32 Child Endangerment Not Likely to Cause Serious Bodily Injury Jane Doe 7 October 10, 2020 to February 1, 2021
Count 33 Selling, serving, serving alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age John Doe 1 June 22, 2020
Count 34 Selling furniture or providing alcoholic beverages to a person under 21 years of age John Doe 2 October 1, 2020 to February 1, 2021
Count 35 Selling, serving or providing alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age Jane Doe 7 October 10, 2020 to February 1, 2021
Count 37 Selling, delivering, providing alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age John Doe 3 October 2, 2020 to October 5, 2020
Count 38 Child Endangerment Unlikely to Cause Serious Bodily Harm John Doe 4 September 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020
Count 39 Selling, serving or providing alcoholic beverages to a person under the age of 21 between September 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020
Count 42 Selling, serving or providing alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age Jane Doe 1 October 30, 2020 to October 31, 2020
Count 43 5 Selling furniture or providing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age from October 30, 2020 to October 31, 2020
A total of 45 persons sold, served or served alcohol to persons under 21 years of age Jane Doe 4 November 1, 2020 to February 14, 2021
46 cases of selling or providing alcohol to persons under 21 years of age Jane Doe 4 December 31, 2020
Statistics of 47 children under 18 who harassed or molested children Jane Doe 4 November 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
Count 49 Selling, serving or providing alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age Jane Doe 4 December 11, 2020
Count 52 Selling, serving or providing alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age John Doe 2 December 19, 2020
53 Cases of Furniture Sales to Persons Under 21 John Doe 3 December 19, 2020
Count 56 Selling furniture to a person under 21 years of age John Doe 1
Count 57 Selling, serving or providing alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age Jane Doe 3 December 31, 2020
Counting 58 Child Endangerments Not Likely to Cause Serious Bodily HarmJane Doe 2 January 2, 2021 – February 14, 2021
Count 59 child endangerment, unlikely to cause serious bodily harm Jane Doe January 2, 2021 – February 2021
Crime 61 Sale of Furniture to Person Under 21 Jane Doe 1 February 15, 2021
Count 62 Child Endangerment Not Likely to Cause Serious Bodily Harm Jane Doe 8 April 30, 2021 to May 3, 2021
Count 63 Child Endangerment Not Likely to Cause Serious Bodily Injury Jane Doe 9 April 30, 2021 – May 3, 2021
Not guilty:
Count 4 Endangering the health of a child named Jane Doe 2 September 18, 2020
Count 25 lesser counts of Child Endangerment Count 4 (but guilty of Child Endangerment with Possibility of Bodily Injury)
Count 5 Endangering the Health of a Child Joe Doe 8 September 18, 2020
Count 13 Endangering the Health of a Child Jane Doe 4 December 11, 2020
20 counts of endangering the health of children Jane Doe 2 February 15, 2021
