(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — The jury weighing fraud charges against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is unable to reach a unanimous verdict on three of the 11 criminal counts she faces, according to a note from the panel read aloud in court.
U.S. district Judge Edward Davila called the jury after conferring with attorneys for defense and prosecution. He wanted to encourage the jury’s further deliberations.
Davila told the jurors that they had to try their best to find a verdict. He also suggested that they reexamine and modify their views if they feel they were wrong. They were also reminded that the charges had to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
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The jury returned to its deliberations.
The eight men and four women who will determine Holmes’ fate spent much of their holiday season behind closed doors in a San Jose, California, courthouse, weighing reams of evidence presented during a three-month trial that captivated Silicon Valley.
The jurors were released on Thursday before a Friday court holiday, as they failed to come up with a decision by mid-week. They hadn’t provided any inkling where they stood in their deliberations last week after sending two notes to the federal judge presiding over the case the previous week.
The jury was not given any reason for suspending the discussions earlier than planned last week. Holmes is an infamous technology icon who faces up to 20 years imprisonment if she’s found guilty.
Holmes, 37, 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.
Holmes was briefly able to realize her dreams of fame and fortune before the problems became public in 2016 and 2015 by The Wall Street Journal stories and a regulatory audit. She raised more than $900million from well-respected investors, including Larry Ellison, a media mogul, and Walton, who are behind Walmart.
At Theranos’ height, Holmes had amassed a fortune of $4.5 billion on paper and was being lionized as a visionary on cover stories in business magazines.
