Los Gatos ‘Party Mom’ makes more jail calls, delays trial

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Shannon O’Connor, also known as the Los Gatos “Party Mom,” was slated to stand trial in May, nearly four years after her arrest. The mother of two is accused of organizing and hosting alcohol-fueled parties for underage teenagers and encouraging minors to have sex with each other while the mom watched.

According to prosecutors, O’Connor organized the “disturbing” secret sex parties between 2020-2021 for Los Gatos High School students. Parents of the alleged victims said O’Connor wanted teens to think of her as “the fun mom” so she could manipulate and control them.

Last month, her jury trial was delayed once again because defense attorneys argued that they need more time to prepare for such a large case.

A grand jury indicted the “Party Mom” on 63 felony and misdemeanor charges. The grand jury’s transcript is 2,223 pages, and evidence compiled by prosecutors for the case contains more than 23,000 pages of discovery files.

Defense attorney Stephen Prekoski convinced a Santa Clara County judge in April to delay the trial until July. Prekoski wrote in court documents, “Because of substantial number of charges filed against Ms. O’Connor, and because of the novel and complex nature of this case, a continuance of at least 60 days is now requested.”

O’Connor has been locked up in jail for 44 months. During that time, she made a series of jail calls that will likely be used against her in front of a jury. After she was arrested in late 2021, O’Connor called her then-15-year-old son and “repeatedly” ordered him to not cooperate with investigators, court documents state. Her son, identified as a victim in the case as “John Doe 3,” promised to follow his mother’s instructions, according to documents describing the call.

Recently filed court documents state that O’Connor made more phone calls from jail in March 2023 and February 2025 that were recorded and seized by prosecutors for their case.

Female victims said O’Connor befriended them through her sons. During a 2023 hearing, “Jane Doe 8” appeared in court and said, “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, “She continues to show signs of no remorse. I will never have the life I once had. And neither should she.”

O’Connor made more jail calls to her husband, Robert Amaral, in 2021 urging him to hide finances by transferring ownership of their $4-million Los Gatos mansion, prosecutors wrote. According to reports, the wealthy Silicon Valley tech company executive was completely unaware of his wife’s boozy parties because he traveled out of town frequently for work. Investigators also confirmed that Amaral was kept in the dark.

Amaral later filed for divorce.

The “Party Mom” is now 51 years old. Her defense attorney did not respond to KRON4’s request for comment Monday.

Prosecutors are trying to avoid more delays that will push the trial past this summer. Deputy District Attorney Rebekah Wise provided the court with a timeline showing how slowly the case has unfolded:

• October 2021: The Santa Clara County District Attorney charged O’Connor with 39 counts for crime committed against 15 minor victims. Brian Madden was hired as O’Connor’s private defense attorney.
• February 2022: Judge Johnny Gogo ordered the mother to remain in custody without bail.
• March 2023 – August 2023: A preliminary hearing was delayed six times.
• April 2023: An emotional hearing was held where Los Gatos High School students and their parents spoke about how they were allegedly victimized by O’Connor.
• October 2023: The DA presented the case to a grand jury. The grand jury returned with an indictment on 63 charges, including 20 felonies including child endangerment, child sex crimes, and furnishing alcohol to minors.
• November 2023: O’Connor pleaded not guilty.
• March 2024: O’Connor switched up her defense team and Stephen Prekoski stepped in lead defense attorney.
• Spring of 2024: Prosecutors handed a mountain of evidence over to O’Connor’s defense attorneys as both sides prepared for a trial.
• May 5, 2025: The trial was scheduled to begin, however, a judge granted the defense team’s motion to delay it by at least 60 days.

O’Connor is scheduled to appear in court on June 11.