Elizabeth Holmes gets emotional under fire by prosecutors

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — One-time entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, under questioning by prosecutors, struggled Tuesday to recall key events that led to her facing criminal fraud charges for allegedly fleecing investors and customers of her failed blood-testing startup Theranos.

Her cross-examination began the day after she shared painfully vivid memories of alleged abuse by her ex-lover and business partner, Sunny Balwani.

In between bouts of hazy recollection, Holmes wept on the witness stand after the federal prosecutor interrogating her asked to read aloud some of the amorous texts that she and Balwani exchanged during a five-year period while they were running Theranos and living together in a stealth romantic relationship.

“U are God's tigress and warrior. You are extraordinary," Balwani cooed to Holmes in a 2015 documents displayed in court Tuesday. Holmes quickly responded with this text: “Coming from my tiger means the whole universe to me."

While poring over the old texts, Holmes occasionally dabbed away tears and wiped her nose with a tissue. The jury watched and listened along with a packed courtroom that included one person who trained a pair of binoculars on Holmes from a back row

The drama unfolded the day after Holmes cast herself as a victim of Balwani's abusive and controlling behavior while they were romantically involved from 2005 to 2016. Balwani, 56, also served as Theranos' chief operating officer from 2009 to 2016 while Holmes, 37, was the CEO and controlling shareholder.

As part of her testimony, Holmes said she was raped at Stanford — a traumatic experience that she asserted Balwani exploited to control everything from her diet to her friendships.

Both Holmes and Balwani are now fighting criminal charges of duping investors and patients into...