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.
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.
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