‘Party mom’ who encouraged high schoolers to have sex so she could watch confronted child about dumping her son and banned ‘ugly’ children from her mansion, court hears

A California ‘party mom’ accused of hosting sordid underage sex parties for her young son allegedly controlled which teens could attend and who they could date.

Shannon O’Connor, 51, is on trial for over 60 charges, including child endangerment, sexual battery, molesting a minor and furnishing alcohol to minors for the rambunctious parties she allegedly hosted for high schoolers in 2020.

O’Connor has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently on trial in a court battle expected to go on until March.

One witness, identified as Jane Doe 7, testified on Tuesday that she dated O’Connor’s son when she was 14 and said that the mother exerted control over the group, KRON 4 reported.

Jane Doe 7 said that when she broke up with O’Connor’s son and began dating another boy, the mom confronted her, saying, ‘We know what you did.’

‘It was harder to escape from her than her son. She knew my every move. When I started to move on, I was shamed for it,’ Jane Doe 7 said.

She told the court that O’Connor would not allow teens she deemed untrustworthy or unattractive to attend the parties at her $5 million mansion, which were often held while her husband was away.

Her exclusive guest lists reportedly comprised freshman boys and the girls she deemed ‘pretty’ and ‘trustworthy’ enough to keep the raucous partying a secret.

According to court documents, O’Connor would encourage her guests to get drunk and have sex for her own sexual gratification. 

At a December 2020 party, O’Connor allegedly handed a condom to a boy and pushed him into a room with an intoxicated girl.

The girl escaped and locked herself in the bathroom, authorities said.

Prosecutors said that during a New Year’s Eve party at her home with about five 14-year-olds, O’Connor allegedly watched and laughed as a drunk teenager sexually battered a young girl in bed.

At the same party, the infamous ‘Party Mom’ allegedly watched as a boy in a hot tub sexually assaulted a girl who was reportedly so drunk ‘she could barely hold her head above water,’ per the filing.

Jane Doe 7 also told the court that O’Connor encouraged the teens to engage in risky behavior, and would drive them around aimlessly while supplying them with alcohol to drink in the vehicle. 

In one incident, the girl said O’Connor pressured her into driving the vehicle while two drunk boys hung off the back of the car, and one of the boys fell and hit his head.   

Instead of seeking medical help, Jane Doe 7 said O’Connor purchased a bag of ice and lied when confronted by police about the incident. 

‘She pretended to be his mom, and said he got car sick,’ Jane Doe 7 told the court.

Another time, Jane Doe 7 said O’Connor was ‘horrifically calm’ when police approached them while they were drinking in her car.

O’Connor has pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed she has become a scapegoat for the teens’ behaviors. 

‘These teenagers were in a COVID lockdown, they were desperate for socialization. They were trying to find any outlet possible,’ she told NBC Bay Area.

‘They were experimenting with alcohol. Many parents knew this. I knew this as well. There was almost no stopping it. These teenagers drank drank at multiple people’s homes, not just mine.’

O’Connor told the news outlet from her jail cell in December that she doesn’t deny playing a role, but feels she is being mischaracterized. 

‘I’m sorry if I contributed to any stress, to any emotional distress. I really did embrace these kids. These were, you know, like a family, some of these teenagers. And I cared for them,’ she said.

‘It’s so unfair. A lot of these stories are just not true. And I’ve been affected deeply by these stories in jail. And I have been beaten up multiple times. They call me a pedophile. They think I’m this rapist. They think that I’m a horrible monster.’