Holmes Jury Heads Into Fifth Day of Deliberations

Holmes Jury Heads Into Fifth Day of Deliberations
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes leaves federal court in San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 23, 2021. (Nic Coury/AP Photo)
The Associated Press
12/28/2021
Updated:
12/29/2021

SAN JOSE, Calif.—The jury weighing fraud charges against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes faces the fifth day of deliberations Tuesday. Holmes is facing 11 criminal charges alleging that she duped investors and patients by hailing her company’s blood-testing technology as a medical breakthrough when in fact it was prone to wild errors.

The eight men and four women on the jury have been meeting in a San Jose, California, federal courthouse after absorbing reams of evidence during a high-profile trial that has captivated Silicon Valley.

Last week, the jurors sent out two notes to U.S. District Judge Edward Davila—one making a swiftly rejected request to take their instructions home with them for further study and another that that allowed them a replay of a 2013 recording of Holmes discussing Theranos’ dealings with prospective investors.

The jury completed Monday’s session without providing any clues as to how far along it is in its deliberations. Jurors are scheduled to resume their discussions Tuesday morning.

The case has attracted worldwide attention. At its core is the rise and fall of Holmes, who started Theranos as a 19-year-old college dropout and then went on to break through Silicon Valley’s male-dominated culture with her bold claims and fundraising savvy. She become a billionaire on paper before it all evaporated amid allegations she was more of a charlatan than an entrepreneur.

By Michael Liedtke