During an interview with Let's Talk with Kat, Crystal Mangum, who is serving a second-degree murder sentence at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women for stabbing her boyfriend to death, admitted she lied about being raped by members of Duke's Lacrosse team in 2006.
Crystal was an exotic dancer who accused David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann of raping her after she privately danced for them at their home. She explained during the interview, "That night...they took me into their home and they trusted...The bible says that you shouldn't do harm to your neighbor that lives trustingly beside you...And I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn't. And that was wrong. And I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me...I wanted validation from people and not from God. And that was wrong...I hope that they can forgive me."
The trial received continuous nationwide attention. African American leaders, female activists, and many others lent Crystal unconditional support after her allegations. Although the three players were eventually cleared of all charges, their lives were disrupted. According to NBC News, it was discovered that Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong withheld evidence from defense lawyers that could have cleared the players of the charges sooner. The district attorney was disbarred in 2007.
As trouble seemed to follow Mangum, in 2013, she was sentenced to second-degree murder for the stabbing death of her boyfriend in 2011. During her trial, she claimed that she acted in self-defense. According to WRAL, "A police investigator who interviewed Reginald Daye (Mangum's boyfriend) in the hospital before he died testified that he told her he had ordered Mangum out of the apartment because he was tired of her bringing over other men. He acknowledged kicking open the bathroom door and dragging her by her hair, but he said he was trying to get away from her during the argument when she stabbed him." The 46-year-old will reportedly be released in 2026.
The statute of limitations on perjury charges in North Carolina has expired, and Mangum can no longer be prosecuted for lying under oath about the rape.
However, David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann were compensated financially after their prosecution. According to the Duke Chronicle, Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann sued the University after their case was dismissed in April 2007, resulting in an undisclosed settlement— alleging they didn't receive a fair trial.
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