"Boys and girls testified that O'Connor would pressure them to sneak out of their own houses when their parents were asleep, and ply them with copious amounts of alcohol, assigning them bedrooms where they could hookup. Prosecutors described this as 'grooming,' and suggested that O'Connor got some sort of 'sexual gratification' in the process."
"One of those witnesses, identified only as John Doe 5, said he'd never consumed alcohol before when he drank eight beers in one night in September 2020. He said he and the other boys treated O'Connor like 'a popular girl in the group,' adding, 'Looking back on it, it's pretty weird.'"
"There was also testimony that O'Connor watched the teens hooking up and took an 'unnatural interest' in it, including one incident involving a nearly unconscious girl in a hot tub."
Shannon O'Connor, 50, is on trial in Santa Clara County facing 63 counts of child endangerment, providing alcohol to minors, and sexual offenses. Jurors have deliberated for two days after three months of testimony from 40 prosecution witnesses, including 20 teenagers who were approximately 14 years old during the alleged crimes. Eighteen teens are identified as victims who described drunken parties at O'Connor's Los Gatos mansion in 2020 and 2021 while schools were closed. Testimony revealed O'Connor pressured minors to sneak out at night, provided excessive alcohol, assigned bedrooms for sexual activity, and displayed inappropriate interest in the teens' sexual encounters. Prosecutors characterized her actions as grooming behavior motivated by sexual gratification.
Read at sfist.com
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