No trial date was set Wednesday for the mother accused of hosting alcohol-fueled parties for her underage son and his friends in Los Gatos, and she will be getting a new attorney.
Shannon O'Connor, who has been in jail on a no-bail hold for more than two years awaiting trial, was appeared in a San Jose courtroom Wednesday with the intention of setting a trial date and identifying O'Connor's attorney. But O'Connor no longer can afford her own counsel and will now be assigned a public defender.
The next hearing with the new defense lawyer was set for March 6.
Last year, a grand jury indicted O’Connor on seven additional felonies, including at least one charge that she allegedly encouraged sexual acts between some of the teens at the parties in Los Gatos.
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O’Connor now faces a total potential sentencing of 31 years if found guilty, instead of 17 years based on earlier charges.
In a previous exclusive statement to NBC Bay Area, O’Connor said she has been frustrated by the court delays. She said she’s been waiting for two years for this moment: "I don’t want this postponed. I want to move forward," she said.
