California “Party Mom’s” Google searches revealed in court documents

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Los Gatos “Party Mom” Shannon O’Connor’s Google searches were detailed in new court documents, exposing a glimpse of her suspected motives before, during, and after she allegedly hosted alcohol-fueled sex parties for underage teenagers.

O’Connor has pleaded not guilty to 39 charges filed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office in connection to a string of disturbing parties between the summer of 2020 and February 2021. The alleged victims were male and female Los Gatos High School students, including O’Connor’s teenaged sons, prosecutors said.

The DA’s Office is gearing up for O’Connor’s preliminary hearing, set to begin on November 6. Ahead of the hearing, prosecutors filed a series of motions to the judge that contain new information about their case, O’Connor’s anticipated defense, and evidence of intent — including Internet searches.

When investigators seized O’Connor’s cellphone and traced her Google searches, they found search entries including, “Good books with young sex,” “hot 16 (year) old teenage girls,” “prettiest 16 year old girl,” according to court documents obtained by KRON4.

Her phone also contained multiple videos that had been downloaded from girls’ social media platforms, including TikTok. “The videos show young girls who appear to be underage. They are dressed in revealing clothing. There is no evidence that the girls in these videos were personally known to defendant,” court documents state.

O’Conner, 48, allegedly lured girls to her house by hosting parties and “facilitated sexual encounters” between boys and girls, “some consensual and some nonconsensual,” prosecutors wrote. Victims told investigators that the “Party Mom” watched as they were sexually assaulted.

“Evidence admitted at preliminary hearing will show offenses alleged above were committed by defendant as a result of sexual compulsion and for the purpose of sexual gratification,” Deputy District Attorney Rebekah Wise wrote.

O’Conner had an M.O. that she carried out for months, court documents state. According to Wise, O’Conner “helped minors sneak out of their homes in the middle of the night without their parents’ knowledge. She would communicate via Snapchat or text message, pick them up … and drive them to her home. She got the children under her care so drunk that many children would vomit, be unable to stand, and even lose consciousness. She urged them to engage in sexual activity with each other.”

Some of the parties were thrown at the “Party Mom’s” Los Gatos mansion when her husband was not home. Others were organized at Airbnb’s in Lake Tahoe and Santa Cruz.

O’Connor was “very opinionated” about girls that were allowed to attend her parties, prosecutors wrote. “She would reject girls as guests by saying they weren’t ‘pretty enough’ or didn’t ‘put out,'” court documents state.

The mother risked the wellbeing of minors for her own sexual gratification, investigators said.

On Dec. 19, 2020, “John Doe 2” suffered a concussion during a night of drinking with O’Connor and other teens inside the Los Gatos mansion. At one point, O’Connor drove the group of teens to Los Gatos High School. “John Doe 2” was hanging onto the back of O’Connor’s SUV in the high school’s parking lot when he fell and was knocked unconscious for 30 seconds.

A worried bystander called 911. When Los Gatos Police Officers found the SUV, the “Party Mom” convinced them that she had the situation under control and that she would take the teens home. “Defendant instructed John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 to lie to their parents about what occurred that night,” Wise wrote.

Afterwards, O’Connor’s phone contained Google searched including, “What to do for a concussion in a teenager,” and “cracked skull.”

Prosecutors said O’Connor’s husband, Robert Amaral, was completely unaware of his wife’s parties. Amaral reportedly filed for divorce earlier this year.

During an emotional hearing held in April, victims stood up in the courtroom and told the judge personal stories about how O’Connor impacted them. One girl, “Jane Doe 8,” told the judge, “This woman tore my life apart. I have suffered and had to deal with the reputation of being ‘the girl that got raped.’ I will live my high school years with this cloud over me.”

“Jane Doe 8” said, “Shannon doesn’t have a conscience. She is a con-artist. I will never have the life I once had. And neither should she.”

“Jane Doe 9” told the judge that she has nightmares. The girl said, “She is a manipulator and a narcissist. She continues to show signs of no remorse.”

Once O’Conner realized that Los Gatos police had begun investigating her in 2021 for suspected criminal acts, she fled with her sons out of California and moved to Eagle, Idaho, investigators said.

After she moved to Idaho, she Googled questions about laws against providing minors with alcohol, arrest warrants, and statute of limitations, court records show. O’Connor typed in Internet searching for: “can I get prosecuted in California if I live in Idaho,” “how do I know if there is a warrant for my arrest,” “supplying alcohol to minors in a private home,” and “statute of limitations California,” according to court documents.

When the she was arrested in October 2021, police officers said they found O’Conner in her new Idaho home with 12 underage teenagers who had slept over the night before.

Not long after she was booked into a Santa Clara County Jail, O’Conner called her 15-year-old son from jail and instructed him to not cooperate with investigators, according to court documents.

Prosecutors want to block media cameras from the courtroom

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed motions in limine on August 14 asking the judge to set rules for the preliminary hearing. One of the motions urged the judge to bar all media cameras from the courtroom.

A second motion requested a therapy dog, named Percy, to sit next to victims while they testify on the stand. All 15 of the alleged victims in the case are minors, prosecutors wrote, and some of the teens are requesting Percy for comfort while they testifying about traumatizing events.

Prosecutors filed a third motions to include evidence related to additional conduct, events, and patterns that did not result in charges.

“The uncharged incidents make it clear that defendant’s action were not a mistake or accident,” Wise wrote. Prosecutors “anticipate that defendant will claim that at least some of the charged incidents were accidents. (O’Connor) engaged in the same conduct over and over again, even after seeing the consequences,” Wise wrote.

Shannon O’Connor attacked in jail by 5 inmates

O’Connor’s defense team will likely try to argue that she believed sexual contact between the teenagers was consensual, court documents state. “In order to combat this argument, it is necessary to put on evidence of how many times defendant saw children being sexually abused and still continued to encourage the assaults,” Wise wrote.

O’Connor remains behind bars in Elmwood Correctional Facility with no bail. She is facing charges including endangering the health of a child, sexual battery, annoying or molesting a child, child endangerment, and furnishing alcohol to a person under 21.

Her preliminary hearing is set to begin at 9 a.m. on November 6 in courtroom department 39 of the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice.

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