California ‘party mom’ arrives in court for trial
Shannon O’Connor is on trial after she was slapped with 63 criminal charges stemming from her alleged involvement in throwing alcohol- and sex-fueled parties for minors during the 2020-21 school year. (KTVU-TV)
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A California mother dubbed the “Los Gatos Party Mom” has been convicted of felony child abuse after prosecutors said she hosted alcohol- and sex-fueled parties for young teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a trial and several days of deliberations, a jury found Shannon O’Connor, 51, guilty of 48 charges, including two felony sex offenses. O’Connor, also known as Shannon Bruga, faces prison when she is sentenced later this year.
If the court applies the aggravating circumstances, she could face more than 30 years in prison, Rosen said. During the trial, 20 young adults and 41 witnesses testified.
Shannon O’Connor was arrested in June 2021 and has remained in custody for more than four years as the case moved through preliminary hearings, motions and a grand jury process that resulted in a 63-count indictment in 2023. (KTVU-TV)
Deputy District Attorney Joanna Lee alleged O’Connor hosted “chaotic, alcohol-soaked benders,” adding that “for many freshmen at Los Gatos High in 2020, their first experience with alcohol ended in overconsumption, vomiting and blackouts.”
“[O’Connor’s] house was a place for children to engage in sexual conduct. The defendant groomed the children, normalized sex, encouraged hookups and sexual behavior,” she said.
Shannon O’Connor, was arrested in Idaho, in connection to allegedly throwing drunken parties for teenagers in her California home. (Ada County Sheriff’s Office)
O’Connor was arrested in June 2021 and has remained in custody for more than four years as the case moved through preliminary hearings, motions and a grand jury process that resulted in a 63-count indictment in 2023.
The indictment included 20 felony and 43 misdemeanor counts, among them child endangerment, furnishing alcohol to minors and sex-related offenses. O’Connor had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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Authorities said O’Connor developed close relationships with groups of teenagers and, at times, was the only adult present at the house parties.
Prosecutors allege that between 2020 and 2021, O’Connor organized and supervised parties at her home and at a rented beach house where minors consumed alcohol and engaged in sexual activity. (KTVU-TV)
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Jury selection began in late 2025, and testimony stretched roughly 16 weeks before closing arguments. Prosecutors presented dozens of witnesses, including victims identified in court as Jane Does and John Does.
Jane Doe 6 reportedly went on to allege her best friend, a 14-year-old girl identified as Jane Doe 4, experienced symptoms of depression and alcoholism after being sexually and physically abused by boys at the parties.
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“[John Doe 7] would touch her in front of everybody,” Jane Doe 6 told the court, according to KRON. “It was bad, it was weird.”
The young girl reportedly went on to testify that when John Doe 7 drank alcohol, he would act violently toward the girls at the parties and “no one reacted to it.”
“On one occasion, Jane Doe 4 was sitting in [O’Connor’s] kitchen in her swimsuit when John Doe 7 began to punch Jane Doe 4 on her leg,” Lee wrote in court documents. [O’Connor] was drinking a glass of champagne and laughed as she watched. John Doe 7 stood over her and continued to kick her legs and stomach all while [O’Connor] was sitting in the kitchen.”
Shannon O’Connor’s Los Gatos home, where she is accused of throwing wild parties for minors. (Google Maps)
Jurors also heard from law enforcement investigators, forensic specialists and medical professionals throughout the trial.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen praised the young victims who testified.
“This defendant not only didn’t protect these children, she endangered their safety, coordinated their sexual assaults, and she tried to get them not to tell,” Rosen said. “These brave kids came forward to tell the truth about what happened and to put a stop to it.”
The mother of one of the victims called O’Connor a child predator who is “getting what she deserves.”
The judge will now determine whether aggravating factors should be applied at sentencing — a decision that could increase O’Connor’s prison term. Prosecutors argued those factors include the vulnerability of the victims and what they described as O’Connor’s sophisticated planning of the crimes.
O’Connor is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26.
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Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
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