A notorious ‘party mom’ in California finally admitted shame for letting children party at her mansion as she’s sentenced to over three decades behind bars.
Shannon O’Connor, 52, was nicknamed the Los Gatos ‘Party Mom’ after she allowed dozens of high school freshmen to secretly party at least six times in her mansion from 2020 to 2021.
But the parties, attended by minors aged 13 to 15 years old, were fueled by booze and saw the sexual assault of several girls, prosecutors alleged, according to KRON 4.
Vodka, Fireball whiskey, beer and hard seltzers were among O’Connor’s offerings to the children at the deeply disturbing parties, the Los Angeles Times reported.
But O’Connor claimed the parties were an attempt to help her son through the Covid-19 pandemic.
As she was sentenced to 35 years and ten months behind bars, the mother of two was heard finally apologizing for her reckless actions.
‘I’ve had the chance and the time to reflect on this case and what went wrong,’ O’Connor, who has already served five years in jail, told the court room on Thursday.
‘I’m not here to make excuses for my actions. I’m fully aware of how you all feel about me. Because of my actions… I have been absent from my own children, missing major milestones and time that I can never get back. I am ashamed.’
‘I want you all to know that I live every day wishing I could take everything back, and go back in time, and change it all,’ she said.
Yet, the apology was followed by O’Connor adding that there was ‘one thing that does not sit right in my soul.’
‘I have never had any sexual inclinations for your children, or toward any minor. In fact, I am the victim of sexual abuse, I would never want to inflict that pain onto others,’ she said through tears.
O’Connor went on to thank her attorney, who she said ‘did his very best’ to defend her.
‘I want to thank Judge Peterson for your dedication and fairness. I’m sure you’re all wondering, where is my family? Where is everyone for Shannon? They are where they need to be. Away from me. I beg the court for leniency.’
However, O’Connor’s tearful apology was met with little sympathy as the jury shook their heads at the mother, the outlet reported.
Deputy District Attorney Joanne Lee went as far to say, ‘This isn’t the Academy Awards. We just spent the last hour listening to a whole lot of garbage.’
Lee described O’Connor’s remarks as ‘deeply offensive’ and showing ‘zero accountability.’
‘She will re-offend. She lies at every single turn to protect her own agenda, to get whatever she wants. She had lied to this court over and over. This is a one-of-a-kind case. That’s why we’re asking for the maximum,’ Lee continued.
Prosecutors pushed for O’Connor to spend 41 years behind bars, according to KRON 4.
The trial saw testimony from 20 teens over the course of months. The ‘party mom’ was described as controlling, manipulative and someone who hyper-sexualized the teens at the parties, the outlet reported.
Lee told Judge Peterson that O’Connor is a sexual predator who had groomed the children beginning in 2019.
‘This case is about the children. Let’s not forget about them. Children as young as 11 years old – 11, 12, 13, 14-year-old children who are not able to protect themselves from Ms O’Connor,’ Lee continued.
‘Saying, “I’m sorry you got hurt,” is not an apology.’
The prosecution said that the mother had communicated with the minors through snapchat and pressured them to ‘hook up’ in her home.
According to the outlet, the parties had been kept secret from her husband, the victims’ parents and police.
A victim’s mother said in an impact statement to O’Connor: ‘Your sick secrets have been exposed. I hope the judge locks you up for good and throws away the key.’
Her defense attorney, Stephen Prekoski, argued against the maximum sentence, noting O’Connor’s age would mean she would likely die in prison.
‘I want everyone to know, for those of you who are urging the maximum sentence, that means Ms O’Connor [would] die in a cage. Life expectancy in CDCR for women is not that long. If she deserves a maximum sentence, let’s call a spade a spade. What you are saying is you don’t believe she has any potential for rehabilitation. I don’t agree. I don’t think that’s reasonable,’ he said.
One of the victim’s, only identified as ‘Jane Doe 7,’ said O’Connor had controlled her life when she was dating her son at 14 years old.
‘I have spent the past seven years trying to crawl out of the hole that Shannon dug for me,’ they said.
The trial, which did not see O’Connor testify in her defense, consisted of 12 female victims and eight males, according to the outlet.
Another female victim said: ‘You are using these tears for chance of gaining sympathy and getting out. You can’t even look at your victims. You can’t even turn around. [Throughout the trial] you sat there with a blank expression.
‘You do not have remorse. Shannon, you are pathetic. I demand the maximum sentence.’
That victim’s mother yelled to the courtroom and O’Connor: ‘Shannon I am here to set the record straight. When people call you a monster, a [sexual predator], a [sexual abuser] … they had it right. You preyed upon my daughter. You, and only you, stole her innocence. I am here to expose you for who you really are.’
O’Connor was found guilty of 48 total charges, including sexual [invasion] of an intoxicated victim, influencing a child to engage in sexual activity with another child, providing alcohol to a minor, annoying or [sexually abusing] a child and attempting to dissuade a witness from reporting a crime.
