'COOL MOM' Has Teens Young as 13 to DRINK, PERFORM SEX ACTS at 'Parties': CONVICTED

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode Title: “COOL MOM" Has Teens Young as 13 to DRINK, PERFORM SEX ACTS at 'Parties': CONVICTED
Date: March 14, 2026
Host: Nancy Grace
Featured Guests:

• Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)
• Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter, The Los Gatin)
• Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)
• Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)
• Anna Sonoda (Child Grooming Expert, Author)

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Episode Overview

In this harrowing episode, Nancy Grace and a panel of experts dissect the chilling case of Shannon O’Connor, the so-called "cool mom" of Los Gatos, California, now convicted of 47 felonies. O'Connor orchestrated alcohol-fueled parties where minors as young as 13 were coerced into drinking, taking drugs, and performing sexual acts—sometimes while she watched. The discussion unravels how a woman of privilege manipulated teens, outwitted authorities and parents, and leveraged her status as a mother to prey on the vulnerable, prompting comparisons to cases nationwide. The episode digs deep into community complicity, the failures of adult oversight, and the psychological profile of a female child predator.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Crimes of Shannon O’Connor ("Cool Mom")

[02:43–04:47]

• O’Connor, described as affluent with a $4.7 million mansion and a “gorgeous family,” hosted “booze soaked parties” for teens.
• She manipulated, emotionally and physically abused, and endangered children for her own “perverse reasons.” (Michael Bach, 03:22)
• Felony charges included child endangerment, molestation, facilitating sexual assaults among teens, dissuading witnesses, and more.

Quote:

“This defendant took advantage of children, manipulated children, hurt children emotionally, mentally, physically and did that for her own perverse reasons. And today there's justice...” – Michael Bach [03:22]

How She Operated and Community Response

[06:28–10:23]

• O’Connor invited teens younger than her own children (aged 13 and 15) to her house, often using social media (Snapchat, texts).
• Despite widespread gossip, adult intervention lagged—the earliest complaints were sent to school administrators rather than police.
• O’Connor manipulated not only the teens but also their parents and the broader community, perpetuating her “cool mom” image while grooming and entrapping victims.

Quote:

“She has other names she’s gone by...and she gained a reputation for being...someone who’d invite folks over...younger than maybe you would invite over. And that’s putting it lightly.” – Drew Penner [06:28]

Quote:

“She was grooming not just the children, but the other parents, the whole community with her conduct.” – Sam Dordulion [12:32]

Classic Grooming, Female Offender Bias, and Parental Blind Spots

[13:51–15:55]

• Expert Anna Sonoda details grooming stages: selecting, baiting with gifts/favors (trips, alcohol), entrapment via guilt, and silencing via threats.
• Community defaulted to trusting her due to her “mom” status; she actively communicated with other parents to assure she was supervising.
• The panel points out broader societal reluctance to suspect or report abuse by women, especially mothers.

Quote:

“Worse than being a ‘cool mom,’ she was perceived as safe. She was the one...other parents trusted to supervise. And parents need to keep a keen eye...” – Anna Sonoda [14:44]

Details and Scope of the Offenses

[18:33–20:39; 26:34–28:08]

• O’Connor was convicted on 47 charges, including sexual penetration of an intoxicated victim, orchestrating sex between minors, and more.
• Parties spanned Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, and Lake Tahoe, and persisted even after she relocated to Idaho.
• Her sons were the same ages as her victims, showing complicity or at minimum exposure.
• Details emerged about dangerous stunts (kids injured in vehicles) and extreme cover-up efforts.

Quote:

“She encouraged young teens to participate in sex acts, sometimes non-consensual and sometimes while she watched.” – Dr. Angie Arnold (citing news report) [13:51]

Quote:

“She would ply 14 and 15 year olds with vodka and then hand out condoms. Encouraging minors to have sex and laughing when the teens would engage in sex acts, many of which allegedly were non-consensual.” – Nancy Grace [25:38]

Psychological Profile and Motives

[21:15–24:45; 41:14–44:21]

• Female child predators are rare, making the community less vigilant.
• Motives suggested include desire for sexual gratification, control, narcissism, possible mental disorders, or age regression—though panelists agreed motive was ultimately irrelevant to the need for vigilance and justice.
• O'Connor demonstrated calculated manipulation: using gifts, lavish trips, and affection to build trust and dependency.

Quote:

“You want to believe...she’s going to protect them. That belief allowed this to continue...but female sexual offenders are just as dangerous.” – Sam Dordulion [31:19]

Quote:

“We’re so fixated on why somebody would do something. The message...is that people entrusted with your child...if there’s space and access away from supervision, that’s the highest risk.” – Anna Sonoda [44:19]

Failures in Adult Supervision and Societal Blindness

[10:23–13:16; 32:15–33:55]

• Experts noted parents reported concerns to schools instead of authorities, influenced by gender stereotypes ("mothers don’t hurt").
• Children abused by women are statistically less likely to be believed.

Quote:

“If this was a male...I think people would react differently. Because she's a woman, because she's a mom...they’re contacting the school instead of contacting the police.” – Sam Dordulion [12:32]

Quote:

“If you report that you’ve been abused by a female, more times than not, you are not believed.” – Dr. Angie Arnold [33:12]

Community and Victim Impact

[36:23–36:55; 45:31–46:04]

• Victims described lifelong trauma, ruined reputations, stalked and harassed by O’Connor even after coming forward.
• Some took out protective orders; others, like “Jane Doe 8,” said, “Shannon does not have a conscience. She's a con artist. I will never have the life I once had, and neither should she.” [36:23]

Current Status and Legal Developments

[50:22–53:29]

• O’Connor was convicted on over 60 charges involving more than a dozen child victims; she’s being held in pretrial custody at Santa Clara County’s Elmwood facility.
• A plea offer of 17 years, 4 months in prison is reportedly on the table, but legal maneuvers could still change her sentence.
• Her wealthy husband's knowledge of the crimes remains ambiguous; he has since filed for divorce.

Quote:

“She knew exactly what she was doing was illegal...by keeping it from the parents and conspiring with the kids to make sure they kept it from the parents.” – Drew Penner [49:42]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I can’t help but think about the movie Mean Girls...But this is not funny in the least.” – Nancy Grace [04:47]
• “A very sick grown woman.” – Dr. Angie Arnold, when pressed for a clinical description [23:50]
• “She manipulated not just the children, but the other parents, the whole community...” – Sam Dordulion [12:32]
• “If these parents had just eliminated the house parties, this wasn’t happening at school...This was happening at her home.” – Anna Sonoda [44:21]
• “So much for being a cool mom. Not so cool behind bars.” – Nancy Grace [50:14]

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Key Timestamps

• [02:43] – Case introduction & O’Connor’s conviction
• [04:47] – Mean Girls “cool mom” comparison
• [13:51] – Details on grooming behavior and parental complicity
• [18:33] – Legal summary: Over 47 charges, trial insights
• [25:38] – Scope: Other locations (Santa Cruz, Lake Tahoe), methods of operation
• [31:19] – Discussion on trust placed in mothers, gendered stereotypes
• [33:12] – Reluctance to believe female offenders, impact on reporting and intervention
• [36:23] – Victim impact statements, stalking, and harassment
• [49:15] – Total number of convictions and the breadth of the evidence
• [50:22] – Legal update: potential plea, ongoing proceedings

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Conclusion

Nancy Grace and her panel offer a scathing, detailed exploration of one of the most egregious cases of child endangerment and sexual predation by a female offender in recent memory. They dissect the rare psychology, missed warning signs, failures in community vigilance, and deep trauma endured by victims. The episode’s candor drives home a chilling message: vigilance is vital, and the most “trusted” adults can sometimes be the most dangerous. The legal process continues, but the scars on the victims and community remain—the “cool mom” facade now forever shattered.

Transcript

[Nancy Grace]

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[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

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[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

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[Nancy Grace]

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[Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)]

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[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

It's Friday night and it's Time for a Crime Stories Friday night special. And boy is this special. It's the big dollhouse for the so called cool mom after she throws parties and coerces minors as young as 13 years old to drink, get drunk and perform sex acts. What's cool about that? Well, she is looking at substantial jail time and she'll have time to think about what she's done. I'm Nancy Grace, this is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us.

[Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)]

This defendant took advantage of children, manipulated children, hurt children emotionally, mentally, physically and did that for her own perverse reasons. And today there's justice for what she

[Nancy Grace]

had done in the last days.

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

A jury brings down the hammer on the so called cool mom and Shannon O', Connor, finding her guilty of 47 crimes. And she is facing decades behind bars.

[Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)]

The charges included child endangerment, annoying and molesting a child, dissuading witnesses from testifying and facilitating the forcible sexual assault from one child on another.

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

That's right, Shannon o', Connor, the mom charged with hosting booze soaked parties for teens as young as 13 at her mansion in Los Gatos, orchestrating sex between the youth now looking at decades behind bars. What the hey? This woman has a beautiful mansion, a gorgeous family, everything. Why this?

[Nancy Grace]

I can't help but think about the movie Mean Girls with Lindsay Lohan. And the cool mom would just let the girls do whatever they wanted. She was a little mean herself and played into drugs and alcohol and sex. Well, art imitates life. Take a listen to our friends at NBC.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

The first complaint about Shannon o' Connor to Los Gatos High School came from a parent in December 2020. According to internal school emails obtained exclusively

[Commercial Announcer]

by the investigative unit. Shannon Bruga or o' Connor buys alcohol for teenagers.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

My daughter overdosed on edibles.

[Commercial Announcer]

Then interim principal Paul Robinson responded the same day.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

We will follow up on this and inform the police.

[Commercial Announcer]

Two months later, February 17, a different parent sent an assistant principal a detailed multi page email saying she had just filed a police report alleging the criminal contact by O' Connor with her child and at least five other 14 year

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

old girls as well as at least one Fisher Middle School student.

[Nancy Grace]

A middle school student, 14 year old girls going to sex and booze, stoked parties and criminal contact by the cool mom with a girl student age 14. What in the hay with me, an all star panel to make sense of what we know right now. But first I want to go to Drew Penner, investigative reporter with the Lusgatin newspaper. Drew, thank you for being with Us. Who is this quote, cool mom? It doesn't sound cool to me. It sounds criminal. Does she have a child?

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

Oh, yeah, definitely. This is Shannon o'. Connor. And she has other names that she's gone by in the past. Shannon Bruga, Shannon Amaral. But she is a local woman here from the Los Gatos area, and that's in Silicon Valley. And she gained a reputation over the months for being, as you said, someone that would have parties and someone who would invite folks over to her house that were younger than maybe you would invite over to your house. And that's putting it lightly.

[Nancy Grace]

And she does have children. She's got two teen sons, 13 and 15. And you know to Dr. Angie Arnold, renowned psychiatrist joining us out of the Atlanta jurisdiction, you can find her@angela arnoldmd.com you heard what Drew Pinner just told us, that everybody in the neighborhood knew. Rumor, gossip, they knew what was going on. But did anybody stop it? Not until things got even more out of hand in addition to what Drew Pinner told us. Angie, how many times have I told the children, starting at a very young age, about drugs and alcohol?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

All the time.

[Nancy Grace]

What it does to you. Cases I've seen in court, specifically. I remember when I was a brand new assistant district attorney, I was taking a guilty plea of this beautiful woman, and she was taking a plea. Dui, hv, Habitual violator. And I looked around for her family. There was no family, but I knew she was married with three children. Alcohol cost her her stockbroker's license that she worked so hard for, had worked her way up the ladder in that business. She had a horrible car crash when drunk. Her husband divorced her and he got custody of three children because of alcohol. And I remember she just stood there in court just like she was numb, like she didn't even cry. You know, like when you take the dog to the vet and they have to get a shot and they sit on the table, they know something bad is about to happen, but they just sit there stoically. That's what she looked like. Alcohol. And this is a mom with teens throwing this kind of party. Not just alcohol, but drugs and sex.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

So, Nikki, why would. Why would no one have said anything? Because look at all of the other people that can be hurt by not saying anything, starting with the offender.

[Anna Sonoda (Child Grooming Expert)]

This.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

She needed help.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay? You know why? Did I ask you a question? She does not need help. She needs jail. Because these aren't just wild parties. This is sex assault, child molestation, felony, child endangerment. So I don't Know what you're talking about. She needs help. Well, she needs a nice long vacation in the penny and the big dollhouse so she can think about her actions.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

But Nancy, at the very least, if the neighbors knew what was going on and they didn't know the extent to what was going on.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, please. Have you ever seen Bewitched? Yes. No. Have you? Then you're familiar with Gladys Kravitz, right? The nosy neighbor who knows everything. You want to tell me these neighbors didn't know exactly what was happening? Hearing teens screaming and cavorting in the backyard around the keg. Oh, they knew. But this is my question. Drew Penner, back to Los Gatun newspaper. Drew, I understand that the first complaints were made to the school principal and then an assistant principal. Is that correct?

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

Yeah. You know, this has been an interesting case in our town because it's, it's sparked off a whole discussion around what we do. You know, when people are having parties in their own private home. But then it's, you know, these, the ramifications can spill out into the public sphere, including as you mentioned, at the high school and, you know, there's stories that we're hearing and that have come out through the, you know, throughout the various discussions that we've been hearing is that basically, you know, Shannon o' Connor had a really good way of manipulating the whole situation, basically, you know, being able to spin things one way and in fact enlisting the children that she was inviting and many say manipulating over to her house into kind of going on the forefront and helping her spread false stories in order to continue her behavior. And, you know, that's something that we hear time and time again. And, you know, the extent to which perhaps the authorities at the school should have done more, that's been a hot button issue, spilled out over into even the local councils come up indirectly as well. And yeah, it's been the talk of the town.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, that's a really good point. I'm going to go to Anna Sonoda, child grooming expert. But first, let me just swing to Sam Dordulion. He is a renowned attorney, former LA county prosecutor and founder of the DAR Delian Law Group. You can find him at dlawgroup.com Sam, thanks for being with us. Just thinking through what Drew Penner told us from the lescatum. You know, Sam, here's the rub, here's the fly in the ointment. So you have the parents, they are speaking out to the wrong person. They contact the school principal and the

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

assistant principal

[Nancy Grace]

so do they get the idea they're doing the right thing? And how much can a school really control what students or quote, cool moms are doing off school premises?

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

SAM dordulion yeah, Nancy, and actually that's, that's a good question. Why didn't they call the police? And I think it's a lot to do with who this person is. If this was a male, if this was a male, if this was a teacher, if this was a coach, a male coach, I think people would react differently. Because she's a woman, because she's a mom. In particular, I think they're treating it differently. They're contacting the school instead of contacting the police. I mean, you brought up the word grooming. This is the definition of grooming. It doesn't have to be a male teacher or coach or a priest. She was grooming not just the children, but the other parents, the whole community with her conduct. So I think a lot has to do with who she is as a, as a woman and as a mom.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, you know, you just struck me to the core as a mom because you know Anna Sonoda. Going From Sam Dordulian, Dr. Angie Arnold, Andrew Penner. Let me tell you who Anna Sonoda is. Child grooming expert, clinical social worker, author of Duck Duck Understanding How a Child Becomes a Target. And you can find [e-mail] Anna, I want you to take a listen to our friend Amanda Del Castillo.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Shannon o', Connor, the Los Gatos mother is accused of throwing drunken parties where she encouraged young teens to participate in sex acts, sometimes non consensual and sometimes while she watched.

[Commercial Announcer]

The teens, mostly 14 and 15 years old, included her own son.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

O' Connor would use Snapchat or text to invite them to her home, warning the teens to keep silent or she could go to jail.

[Nancy Grace]

It's not exactly your classic grooming, but it has all the elements of a classic grooming.

[Commercial Announcer]

Luring,

[Nancy Grace]

desensitizing the victim, where this little 14 year old girl says, well, everybody else is doing it. The mom is sitting there watching me having a sex act with her son. So maybe it's not as bad as I thought because the mom thinks it's okay, and then getting them getting a vow of silence, warning them not to speak out.

[Anna Sonoda (Child Grooming Expert)]

NANCY this is a gruesome, gruesome example of grooming. And just so that everybody's on the same page, grooming is the intentional and selective process of using assumed trust to gain access and space with an identified prey. And it is a process of entrapping a child. So we've got to set the trap with compliments. These children were selected. She was pre vetting the girls who were attending these parties. Then you've got to bait the trap with favors. So giving the kids things they want like access to free food, alcohol, then you've essentially rigged the trap with guilt. Here are these kids who are breaking rules that their parents have for them and then you've got to keep that trap shut with threats. You can't tell anybody, keep this a secret. So worse than being a cool mom, she was perceived and the community defaulted to her being a safe moment. And she was the one who was communicating with other parents to confirm that she would be in attendance and she would be supervising. And this is why parents need to keep a keen eye to show up at places where their kids are going and when in doubt, verify, even if it means showing up.

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[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

Most legal eagles thought it was a foregone conclusion o' Connor would be convicted of at least one or two counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor. But she was found guilty on 47 charges including sex penetration on of an intoxicated victim. Let that sink in. For influencing a child to engage in sex activity with another child on multiple occasions. It was a four month trial. What did we learn?

[Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)]

It was a long wait. It was a long trial. There was a lot of hardship and pain and so suffering. But with the jury's verdict today, there is now justice.

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

What happened?

[Nancy Grace]

Michael Botton joining me, former NYPD Sergeant Detective Squad supervisor, a Special Victims unit owner of First Rate Investigations and that specializes in adult and child survivor civil cases at first rate investigations and consulting.com that is the mouthful. Michael Bach, I want you to change that website immediately. Hey Michael, I know you've dealt with a lot of cases where adults molest children. I rarely see. I don't know that I've ever seen. I got to think this thing through. I've seen female sex predators on children, but for a mom, a cool moment. And I'm talking about Amy Poehler who I adore Amy Poehler who played the cool mom June George in Mean Girls. Hilarious. But this is not funny in the least. Michael Bach have you ever seen a case where the mom lures in the child victims to have sex with teeny boys while she sits there and watches?

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

It's not a frequent occurrence, especially inside the city. I'd say this is probably more of a suburban issue than it would be inside the city. With apartments and stuff. So it's not a common case that we would come across in the city.

[Nancy Grace]

I don't think I've ever come across anything quite like it. And these people, Michael Bach, I mean, this is Silicon Valley. With all of that tech money just rolling around. The median income in this area is 100, $167,000. That's the median.

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

That's big money.

[Nancy Grace]

Yeah, they've got a lot of money to roll around in and a lot of money to throw parties with for children. I mean. Dr. Angie, you hear Michael Buck speaking, What frame of mind is that where a grown woman get sex gratification off of watching little girls and teen boys have sex in her home?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Oh, Nancy, this is such a horrible subject, isn't it?

[Nancy Grace]

Yes, but I was expecting a little something a little more clinical from you than. This is horrible. Yeah, I know it's horrible. I could ask anybody on the street that. Dr. Angie, I know it's horrible, but what is, what kind of a criminal mind is that?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

These kind of people can suffer from a very low self esteem.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, dear Lord in heaven. Low self esteem?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Well, I mean, Nancy, this is. You asked for a definition.

[Nancy Grace]

She's a child molester.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Well, okay, but, but we have to kind of look at all of the things that can. First of all, female child predators are on the rare side, okay? They can have antisocial personality disorder, they can have very poor social skills. They can have PTSD from something or another.

[Nancy Grace]

Don't even try to make me feel badly for her.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

I'm really not.

[Nancy Grace]

Rejection. Low self esteem. How about child molester? Here is Dr. Jackie in here waving a sign saying voyeurism? Okay, you know what that is, right, Dr. Angie? I mean, you are the strength.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Yes, I do.

[Nancy Grace]

Now, to be a psychiatrist, don't you have to be a medical doctor and a psychiatrist?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

I'm a medical doctor, okay.

[Nancy Grace]

And I'm having to tell you the word voyeurism.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

And Nancy, I've been, I had to treat women who were female sexual predators. I've treated only a very few because only a very few exist.

[Nancy Grace]

What is wrong with them? Not that the state has to prove motive or kick around inside the mind of a perpetrator, but it's very hard for me to take in. I know it exists, but it's hard for me to take in.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

But doesn't it also sound like this woman, this particular criminal was, Was, was exerting a lot of control over her victims? They were very young. She's 47. They're 13 and 14 years old. You know, she's got to, she's got to be getting some sort of sexual pleasure out of this at the, at the very baseline.

[Nancy Grace]

I've already said that. That was my question that I formed for you. What grown woman enjoys watching little children have forced sex?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

A very sick grown woman.

[Nancy Grace]

Once again, I knew that myself, and I am not an md.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Nancy. She may have been abused in her past.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, dear. Gra. You know what? Just go ahead and cut her mic because all you're doing is whine, whine, whine about how badly this was. I still hear her.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Hello, Nancy, the women that.

[Nancy Grace]

I'm gonna give you a moment to reconsider your opinion. Dr. Angela Arnold. What more do we know? Take a listen to our friends at KRON4.

[Reporter/Host]

O' Connor has two sons, ages 13 and 15, the same age range that the victims are in this case. Deputies in Idaho determined her sons were in imminent danger and placed them under the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Law enforcement first began to investigate o' Connor after a boy was injured when he fell from her SUV in the Los Ghettos high school parking lot. The district attorney said o' Connor went to great lengths to keep the parties secret from other parents, law enforcement and her own husband. She would only invite teens over to the house for a wild night of drinking when she knew her husband would not be home. She communicated with students using Snapchat.

[Nancy Grace]

So I didn't realize this Drew Penner. She was married and the husband knew nothing about what was going on.

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

Well, that's kind of an open question. You know, there's some evidence that shows that she seemed to be hiding the beer cans or whatnot from her husband prior to him getting home. So he didn't find out about these parties that were going on. On the other hand, there does seem to be, you know, a close connection between them. They are co defendants in a previous action and you know, so that is something that is still coming out.

[Nancy Grace]

It's really hard for me to believe that he had no idea what was going on. Guys, I want you to listen to this. Sam Dordulion Sex ASSAULT LAWYER FORMER LA County Sex Crimes Prosecutor now this is going down in Los Gatos, California and in a very prestigious community. Parties also took place in Santa Cruz and Lake Tahoe where the cool mom Shannon O' Connor would ply 14 and 15 year olds with vodka and then hand out condoms. Encourages encouraging minors to have sex and laughing when the teens would engage in sex acts, many of which allegedly were Non consensual. Take a listen to our cut for KGO.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Investigators say the party spanned from June

[Commercial Announcer]

2020 to May 2021 and off to

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

involved O' Connor pushing the teens to drink until they became sick or blacked out.

[Commercial Announcer]

The DA's office says some of the

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

assaults against the young victims happened while they were drunk. Documents show teens also told authorities drinking led to heavy vomiting, a broken finger and a girl reporting she almost drowned in a hot tub. In a release, DA Jeff Rosen said it took a lot of brave children

[Commercial Announcer]

to come forward and to untangle this deeply disturbing case.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

In another case, the DA's office says O' Connor let a teen drive her suit SUV in the Los Gatos High parking lot while two other teens held onto the back. One fell off, knocked unconscious.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay. Also take a listen to Amy Larson

[Reporter/Host]

Kron, a 47 year old mom is accused of throwing sex parties at her Los Gatos mansion. She pressured underage teenagers to binge drink and encourage boys to have consensual and non consensual sex with girls. According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office, investigators said dozens of Los Gatos High School students went to Shannon O' Connor's disturbing parties between June of 2020 and May of this year. The mom recently moved to Attic county in Idaho where she continued to invite teens over to her new house. Detectives told me that when they went to the house to arrest her last weekend, there were 12 underage teenagers with her, most of whom had spent the night.

[Nancy Grace]

So let me understand this, Drew Penner, the students would actually spend the night in the home.

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

Well, some of these parties would go on for an awful long time. And you know, I at one point I tried knocking on the doors of some of the neighbors homes and they didn't really want to say too much to me about what they had seen or hadn't seen. I don't know if you know, if people felt guilty for not saying things sooner or you know, maybe they did keep certain things under wrap. But you know, there's definitely a lot of questioning even by Shannon o' Connor who was, you know, googling as we have reported, you know, things like what to do with the concussion in a teenager and you know, can a concussion cause eye problems and you know, investigate, you know, people and investigators seem to think that that may be related to that car incident.

[Nancy Grace]

Exactly.

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

You had just, you know, heard about there on that news report.

[Nancy Grace]

Guys, it's not the first time a mom has broken the law in order to be the cool mom at the school. Take a listen to our cut 27

[Reporter/Host]

at 40 years old, Sherilyn McDonald wanted to be known as the Cool Mom. She wanted the kids to call her Cher, invited boys to be a part of family outings and more. The former Cool mom is now behind bars charged with engaging in sexual activity with a minor, encouraging sex among minors, six felony charges of lewd and lascivious battery, and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child. The Cool mom party came to an end when a real mom saw that her teenage son was getting text messages from McDonald. That real mom questioned her son, found out about teens playing beer pong at McDonald's and turned it all over to police. The investigation is ongoing and McDonald could face additional charges.

[Nancy Grace]

McDonald not alone take a listen our cut 20 our friends at WSB a

[Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)]

Georgia mother is facing charges after officials say she hosted a party with drugs and alcohol for her teenage daughter and her friends, according to an incident report. Rachel Lynn Linhart's sponsor from Alcoholics Anonymous came to officials about the incident and the woman said Linhart allowed a group of minors to drink and smoke marijuana at her home in Evans, Georgia near Augusta. The woman claimed Linhart played Naked Twister with the teens and engaged in sexual relations with an 18 year old and her daughter's 16 year old boyfriend. She's charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and has been released on bond.

[Nancy Grace]

Sam Dordulion joining a sex assault lawyer, former LA County Sex Crimes Prosecutor Naked Twister with a bunch of teen girls and boys in your home. I mean I cringed when I heard Dr. Angela Arnold talking about oh, she's got low self esteem, she's probably been rejected. Don't care. This is child molestation. I mean Dordulion, do you have any children?

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

I have two children. In fact, one are about the same

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

age as these kids at 13 going

[Nancy Grace]

to the mom's house down the street and then to find out later she was egged into sex acts and given drugs and alcohol by the so called Cool Mom. I would do a backflip.

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

Yeah, I can't even imagine it. And Look Nancy, in 25 plus years I've been doing sex crimes, I haven't heard a story like this. And again we I think a lot has to do. The reason why this continued and was allowed to fester and she was allowed to do all these things is because of her status as a mom. As a woman. I've prosecuted a lot of these cases. I've tried in civil Court a lot of these cases, you don't see a lot of sexual predators who are women. I do have them. I've had them before. Nothing like this. And we have an inherent trust of mothers, don't we? You know, you believe, you want to believe. Especially since she's a mom of someone, a child of your child's age. She's not going to hurt them. She's going to protect them. That's what we all want to believe. I think that belief allowed this to continue and the reason why, you know, parents are going to the school instead of the police. We have a different impression of female sexual offenders, but they're just as dangerous as we see in this particular case.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, you know, an interesting point, Sandra Dulian. If a dad was throwing a party, I don't know how many teen girls parents would even let them go.

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

I wouldn't. I certainly wouldn't let my, my daughter go. I have a distrust of males.

[Nancy Grace]

Ho h e double l, n o. So you're not going to a party at some pervy dad's house. That's not happening. Oh, okay. Cringe. You know, I want to go back to Dr. Angelique Arnold. I guess we can turn our mic back on. You know, you've given me just enough information over the years to throw something back at you. You're talking about how she has low self esteem and low self worth and was probably rejected in her life. I assume the next thing you're going to say is this is a desperate cry for help. How about a manipulative narcissist with no conscience? Would that shoe fit?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Yes, it would. Yes, it would, Nancy. And I'll tell you something else. The reason nobody's calling and reporting her is because the research has shown that if you report that you have been abused by a female, more times than not, you are not believed.

[Nancy Grace]

I didn't think of that. You're absolutely correct. And guess what else gave her the indicia of responsibility and her mom's status secured. She's living in a $4.7 million mansion. I bet they've got a pool. I know they've got a hot tub because one girl almost drowned in their hot tub. Drunk.

[Reporter/Host]

Sure.

[Nancy Grace]

$4.7 million home up there in Los Gatos. A quote, tech savvy predator who taught the teens to lie using gifts in order to bait the girls. Whoa, wait, we haven't even touched on that. Drew Penner. Drew Penner, investigative reporter at the Los Gatin. What kind of gifts did she use to bait the teen girls?

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

Well, I mean if you know the Bay Area at all, you know that, you know, just over the hill, you know, you've got Santa Cruz and that's a pretty, pretty awesome destination to go to and people like going on trips there. Same with Tahoe. So you get invited along to a trip to one of those places. I mean, who wouldn't want to go? Keep in mind, these are kids that don't have access to just head out on a weekend trip on their own, you know. And you know, so that's, that's one thing, you know, getting these, the alcohol supplied, I mean that's not exactly easy when you're near a kid. And you know, I just, I think that there's a lot of this affection that's been showered on them as well by Ms. O' Connor as we hear and from some of the stories that we've been reporting on, including you know, that that may have been a technique, this flattery in order to, you know, build trust and bonds.

[Nancy Grace]

That's classic grooming. Drew Penner.

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

One other thing I wanted to say, I wanted to say too was, was just that, if you don't mind, was just that it's, I think that we have to keep in mind that this is, this is someone that you know, she had on her phone, it turns out as we've now reported, like a video of a girl saying that, you know, talking about her own body image. And we don't know if this is someone she knew or something she downloaded from TikTok, but this is pointing to the fact that you know, she had not just a desire to help her own child to perhaps hook up. But you know, there's some question around. Was she maybe looking for having, let's say a bad interest in 16 year olds? For example, one of her searches on her phone was hot 16 year old teenage girls and prettiest 16 year old

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

girl so called cool mom not so cool. Now looking at decades behind bars after a booze fueled party, actually a series of parties for children. What happened in o' Connor's mansion?

[Nancy Grace]

We know that one young girl who is going only by the name Jane Doe 8 says that cool mom O' Connor quote Tore my life apart. I've suffered and had to deal with the reputation of being quote the girl that got raped. I will live my high school years with this cloud over me. Victims say that o' Connor befriended them through her children and social media when they were just freshmen at Los Gatos High. This Jane Doe H says Shannon does not have a conscience. She's a con artist. I will never have the life I once had, and neither should she. She says that o' Connor would have boys get drunk and then drunkenly sex assault the girls while O' Connor watched. One of these girls, Jane Doe 9, actually had to take out a protection order against O' Connor after she realized O' Connor had been following her around with no headlights on. The girl still has nightmares today. One girl says that o' Connor moved into her town and the little girl got 27 calls with no caller ID. But with Shannon O' Connor on the other end breathing into the phone, does anybody have a concern about what took so long to bring this woman to justice? Here's another theory. In addition to Drew Pinner's theory that she was sexually interested in young teen girls and boys. Did she actually want to be a child again? Take a listen to our cut 28WNYT

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

Cairo Durham School District Superintendent Anthony Taibi says 32 year old Michael Ann Goodrich came in to register for classes on December 19. He says administrators immediately felt something was off. But Taibi says under the McKinney Vento act, the district had to admit Goodrich immediately because she claimed to be homeless.

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

She did attend school for one day

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

and she did in fact ride the

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

school bus to and from school that day.

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

He says Goodrich was absent on the 21st and then the holiday break began the following week. She was arrested on the 28th and charged with offering a false insurer filing, falsifying business records and criminal trespassing and

[Nancy Grace]

more in our cut 25 from AP.

[Reporter/Host]

A 30 year old sex offender who posed as a child has pleaded guilty to seven criminal charges and will now serve at least 70 years in prison. Neil Haven's Roderick II faced 28 counts but pleaded guilty to only a quarter of them, according to a plea agreement document. Two of those charges stem from when he posed as a 12 year old boy and enrolled in this Arizona charter school in January 2007.

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

If it's a facade he's been putting on, he's very good at it because he obviously fooled educators, he fooled trained and experienced investigators. So if it's a facade, then he's an absolute magician.

[Nancy Grace]

So this spans, I understand, Drew Pinner from Los Gatos to Idaho, is that correct?

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

So it is true that what happened is that as the investigation was progressing into the conduct of Shannon o', Connor, she leaves, she goes to Idaho and you know, you might say, okay, maybe that's a nice coincidence or whatever for her. But you know, the truth is, is that we're starting to see that she's very aware of the fact that, you know that it's, there's different rules. When you have authority, local authorities investigating here, they, it's harder for them to reach across state lines. And in fact, at one point she's, she's Internet searching Idaho stat, Idaho, statue of limitations criminal. She's going, hey, can I get prosecuted in California if I live in Idaho?

[Nancy Grace]

She's very savvy, Drew. What about it? Sam Dordulian. She's looking for statute of limitations. How long can they prosecute me in another jurisdiction for this?

[Sam Dordulion (Sex Assault Lawyer, Former LA County Prosecutor)]

She's incredibly manipulative. And it's just terrifying. The other parts that you mentioned about the whole stalking part of it. I work the stalking unit as well, and I can tell you I'm working with the DA's office prosecuting all sorts of criminals. There's only two that I was really, truly frightened of. Hardcore gang members and stalkers. And she seems to not only just be a sexual predator, but has those stalking elements on top. And it's just terrifying that she would move to a different state, be so manipulative. And there's some reference to her moving to another state where there's, I believe, one of the victims actually lived. It's terrifying what this woman was doing. And to suggest that the husband had no idea about all of this I think is just foolish. Absolutely foolish.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, we do know that he has recently filed for divorce. And do you blame him?

[Reporter/Host]

What about it?

[Nancy Grace]

Dr. Angie Arnold, psychiatrist out of Atlanta. I gave you two examples of many, many where adults have actually enrolled in middle school and high school posing as teens to be around teens. It's like they want to be a teen. Is that some sort of a designated ailment?

[Dr. Angie Arnold (Psychiatrist)]

You know, Nancy, I don't. That ailment doesn't necessarily have a name. It all goes under the. It's all under the guise of sexual predators. And it's just another way that they manipulate the system. I mean, Nancy, I have to wonder. I mean, there's so many things that are going on in our world right now that are predatory to children that we have to keep an eye out for all of those things.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, I want to follow up with Anna Sonoda, child grooming expert and author of Duck, Duck Groom. We're talking about various motives. Did this so called cool mom o' Connor actually want to be a teen again? Take a listen to this. Anna Sonoda. I will cut nine from KGO.

[Reporter/Host]

The DA's office believe an early motive for, for O' Connor's alleged actions is sexual gratification. Court documents say she would use social media to lure minors to her home, give them alcohol, condoms, and private rooms to commit sexual acts that sometimes were not consensual.

[Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)]

One of the crimes that we have charged involves committing the crime for sexual gratification. So we can certainly say that sexual gratification is one of the motives in this case.

[Nancy Grace]

What about it, Anna Sonoda?

[Anna Sonoda (Child Grooming Expert)]

Well, Nancy, I think we have to back up a second and say that all sex, all sexual acts with anyone under the age of 18 in California, along with Idaho, is always non consensual. These children don't even have the ability to consent to sex. So let's get that on the table. First of all, I think one of the things we have to keep in mind, 66% of child sex abuse victims are between the ages of 12 and 17. This is a ripe atmosphere. This woman took her position. It's easy to impress teens. She was likable, she was powerful and she was popular. She was providing money, alcohol. Everything was free to these kids. We don't know the socioeconomics of the children who are in that position. And we know that there were no other authority figures. She always set it up so that she was the sole adult and she convinced other adults to trust her to supervise, protect and prevent any damage. And she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she was pretending that she was forever 21, if you will, and disregarding any sort of obligation as an adult or as an authority figure.

[Nancy Grace]

So would you say, Anna Sonoda, that she has some sort of an age regression mental ailment or as the motive here, or do you believe it's for her pure sex gratification or so somehow she can be the, quote, cool mom?

[Anna Sonoda (Child Grooming Expert)]

I actually don't think it matters why.

[Nancy Grace]

No, it doesn't matter why we're so

[Anna Sonoda (Child Grooming Expert)]

fixated on, on why somebody would do something. The, the message that, that listeners need to get out of this example is that people who are entrusted with your child, as long as you send them into environments in which they have space and access away from proper supervision, the highest risk environment your child can ever be in is your home or someone else's home. So if these parents had just eliminated the house parties, this wasn't happening at school, this wasn't happening at church, this wasn't happening in the local playground. This was happening at her home. Let's all wake up to the reality that our homes and when we allow our children to go to other people's homes. That is the highest risk environment. So honestly, I don't care what reason she had for acting like a teen other than grooming and looking cool and having access and then suddenly being the one. Almost like a big sister with a with a proper id. Here are these kids who are trying to test the boundaries because that is the appropriate developmental stage that they are going through in their own adolescence.

[Nancy Grace]

Jane Doe too did not want to testify, claiming she wants to quote, forget this ever happened. But her mother spoke out saying she's not here because she doesn't want Shannon o' Connor to own one more minute of her life. My daughter is not here because she's busy doing what kids their junior year should be doing. Studying for AP tests, SATs, prom dress fitting, dreaming about colleges. Her life will never be the same.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with nancy grace.

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

In court, Shannon o' Connor tried to look like a conservative librarian in a black jacket with a ponytail done up

[Nancy Grace]

in the back of her head.

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

At times, she would look demurely at the judge and then back down to her lap in front of her. It didn't work. The jury saw through the act and convicted her. It had nothing to do with her demeanor. It had everything to do with the facts. What do we know?

[Michael Bach (Former NYPD Sergeant Detective)]

Defendant Shannon O' Connor was convicted of more than 60 crimes against more than a dozen child victims from Los Gatos. Every child who testified. The jury convicted the defendant of a charge involving that child.

[Nancy Grace]

Michael Bach, former NYPD sergeant have you ever seen anything like it to this extent?

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

No. It's crazy. And she knew exactly what she was doing was illegal, you know, by keeping it from the parents and conspiring with the kids to make sure they kept it from the parents. So she knew exactly what she was doing. And I do agree with your other caller that none of the acts are consensual due to age. And she's basically an accessory to a sexual assault. She's a facilitator, and she encouraged the behavior. She's just as bad as the person committing sexual assault. And she must be getting gratification out of it.

[Nancy Grace]

So much for being a cool mom. Not so cool behind bars. Drew Penner, what is the status of oconnors case?

[Drew Penner (Investigative Reporter)]

Oh, man. So this is one of those cases that just keeps going on and on. There's been many steps and we're not even really even into the preliminary inquiry yet. It was about to start the preliminary inquiry, and then there was a legal maneuver that I personally wasn't familiar with until now, which is basically going to the judge and saying, hey, if I plead to all the charges, what would you give me? So that's basically the step that we are in now where the I just spoke with a parent yesterday and one of the parents told me that, you know, Shannon O' Connor has now been offered a 17 year and four month sentence. Of course, this has not been put on the record yet. So there is a chance it could change before, you know, before I hear next. However, that's what if she decides to plead to everything. We're told that she could go away for 17 years. It could have been as much as 20, but who knows, Maybe this is just a legal maneuver to draw things out and basically start the process all over again of the preliminary inquiry. And then if that goes forward, of course there could be a trial later on. And this is all going after an earlier process to try to get out on bail. She's currently in pretrial custody, as you heard there at the Elmwood facility there in Santa Clara county. And basically her lawyer took that all the way to the California Supreme Court. So a lot of these kids, as you'd heard earlier, they're saying, you know, I want my life back. And in fact they're saying, geez, I want to at least be able to get through college, you know, and be free from, you know, any tormenting from her. Of course, this is all. Now, Shannon o', Connor, we have to say, has not had a full chance to mount a defense. Of course she could have, but this is, this has not gone to trial. However, from a lot of the evidence that has come out so far, there are justices in California and judges in the California system that have pointed to the strong evidence, as they see it, about some of the stuff that has happened. So let's be careful. But at the same time we have to say, hey, this is one of those cases where there is, it seems to be at least some pretty strong evidence of a lot of this behavior occurring. I want to say one more thing really quickly and that is clarifying one of the comments that was meant that was made earlier. And I believe one of the victims had said, you know, I'm known as the girl who was raped. I believe that's the same person that followed that statement up by saying, hey, that's not even my allegation. Now that's not to say that she believes that didn't happen to other girls or possibly boys. We don't know. But what the point is is that we also have a responsibility as a community and a society to be careful with how we look at how these situations play out. Because, you know, we don't want a victim change. They need to be seen as victims for what happened to them. And they shouldn't be tarnished with any kind of negative reputation.

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

All the crimes occurred at the property o' Connor owned with her tech executive husband Robert Amerl, there in Los Gatos, a very, very exclusive area in Northern California, but also at out of town rentals in Santa Cruz and Lake Tahoe. What is wrong with this woman? Victims describe being lured to the parties over social media and by text to, quote, hang out at get togethers, some enticed with the promise of flying on a private jet.

[Nancy Grace]

What was she thinking?

[Nancy Grace (Narrator/Host)]

There is no doubt in my mind that o' Connor is furiously planning her appeal. As we go to air, we wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace Crime Story Signing off.

[Commercial Announcer]

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