California ‘party mom’ sentenced to over 35 years in prison after victims confront her in court

A San Francisco Bay Area woman dubbed by police, prosecutors, and victims as the “party mom” was sentenced to more than three decades in state prison Thursday after she was convicted for hosting alcohol-fueled parties for her teenage son and friends during the pandemic in which she encouraged child sexual assaults. (Credit: iStock.com/KatarzynaBialasiewicz)

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A San Francisco Bay Area woman dubbed by police, prosecutors, and victims as the “party mom” was sentenced to more than three decades in state prison Thursday after she was convicted for hosting alcohol-fuelled parties for her teenage son and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic in which she encouraged child sexual assaults.

Shannon Marie O’Connor, also known as Shannon Bruga, received the maximum sentence of 35 years and 10 months. She is expected to serve about 27 years following credit for time served.

O’Connor was convicted on several dozen counts in March, including facilitating the forcible sexual assault of one child onto another child, child endangerment, annoying or molesting a child, and dissuading witnesses from testifying.

“Defendant Shannon O’Connor preyed upon and victimized an entire community of children and their parents for years,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said at a briefing after the sentence was handed down. “Today, for the first time in a long time, for these brave, strong and resilient children and their families, there is some justice and we are all grateful for that.”

O’Connor’s sentencing comes after a hearing that began on Tuesday, in which multiple victims provided impact statements. Earlier Thursday, the court heard from two sisters in a statement read by the oldest, who said her bright future was derailed thanks to O’Connor, along with her identity and sense of self.

A survivor’s mother also described to the court how O’Connor groomed her daughter, showered her with gifts pretending they were from O’Connor’s 15-year-old son who she was dating at the time. Other mothers burst into tears describing how alarmed they were when O’Connor gifted one of their daughters lacy thong underwear.

“I listened to the testimony of several victims and their parents and heard these words and phrases over and over again,” Rosen said. “Predator, manipulated, groomed, hypersexualized, violated, betrayed, traumatized, isolated, intimidated, harassed. Made me feel small. Suffered severe anxiety and depression. Contemplated suicide. Not over it, life-long impact, forever changed me, stole my innocence, took away my childhood. But I also heard resilient, strong survivors.”

Before sentencing, O’Connor turned to face the survivors and their parents, saying that she had no sexual inclination for any of the minors who were involved, as parents responded by shaking their heads and some wiping away tears.

The 51-year-old O’Connor, a former resident of the affluent Santa Clara County city of Los Gatos, staged at least six teen parties in 2020 and 2021 at her home and other locations.

Court documents said O’Connor bought beer, vodka, whiskey and condoms for the mostly 14- and 15-year-old teens and encouraged them to drink, resulting in some teens drinking to the point of vomiting and unconsciousness. In some cases, O’Connor would Snapchat or text teens to leave their homes in the middle of the night and drink at her home.

O’Connor urged the sexual assault of intoxicated teen girls, “sometimes non-consensual, and sometimes while she watched,” according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Court documents described O’Connor providing a boy with a condom and pushing him into a room with an intoxicated girl, who later escaped and locked herself in a bathroom.

During a New Year’s Eve party at her home, O’Connor allegedly watched and laughed as a drunk teen sexually battered a young girl in bed. In another case, she brought a drunk teen into a bedroom where he sexually assaulted an intoxicated 14-year-old girl, who also told investigators that at another party she was so drunk she almost drowned in a hot tub, according to court filings.

O’Connor was arrested in 2021 in Idaho, where she was living at the time. The Ada County Sheriff’s Office said it investigated O’Connor after an Idaho family reported O’Connor was harassing them. The family told investigators the harassment began after they met with O’Connor when she was looking for a home in Idaho but then tried to sever ties with her after finding out she was part of a sexual abuse investigation.

When detectives arrived at her home northwest of Boise, they found “there were 10 underage boys and two girls at her home — most of whom spent the night there,” according to a sheriff’s office news release.

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

• Call 911 if you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety.
• The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres' website has a comprehensive list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling.
• The Ending Violence Association of Canada‘s website has links to helplines, support services and locations across Canada that offer sexual assault kits.
• Indian Residential School Survivors Society crisis lines: [phone] or [phone] (24/7)
• Toronto Rape Crisis Centre crisis line: [phone] (24/7)
• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone] (24/7)
• Trans Lifeline: [phone]
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
• Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre for current and former Canadian Armed Forces members: [phone]
• Read about your rights as a victim on the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime website.