Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Mangum says she lied about 2006 rape allegations

The woman who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of sexual assault and rape has now said she lied about the allegations, nearly two decades after the story became a national discussion, according to a recent interview she did while incarcerated for an unrelated murder.

Crystal Mangum, a former exotic dancer, confessed to lying about the crimes she alleged David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann committed at a party in 2006 during an interview with the online show “Let’s Talk with Kat," hosted by former model Katerena DePasquale.

“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,” Mangum said in the interview conducted on Nov. 13 at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women. “(I) made up a story that wasn't true because I wanted validation from people and not from God."

Despite Mangum's initial testimony, Evans, Finnerty and Seligmann were cleared by the then-North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper in April 2007 after her story of events on the night of March 13, 2006, became murky, according to prior media reports. Damage was still done as Duke's men's lacrosse coach Mike Pressler resigned and the university canceled the remainder of its season.

"I hope that they can forgive me," Mangum said to DePasquale about the three Duke lacrosse players she falsely accused. "I want them to know that I love them and they didn't deserve that. I hope they can forgive me."

Here is what to know about the case that gained national attention, and the woman who was at the center of it.

Why is Crystal Mangum in prison?

Mangum is currently serving a 14 to 18-year prison for second-degree murder related to the fatal stabbing of her then-boyfriend, Reginald Daye, on April 3, 2011, according to media reports at the time. She claimed the stabbing was in self-defense because Daye was beating her.

Since being in prison, Mangum told DePasquale that she "reads the Bible mostly." When asked to describe her time in prison with one word, Mangum responded "Growth."

Before becoming an exotic dancer, Mangum attended North Carolina Central University and studied psychology, she told DePasquale. She attributed her career move to her "searching for validation" and "looking for love and acceptance," according to the nearly 12-minute-long interview.

DePasquale told Paste BN on Friday she interviewed Mangum because people in the Durham, North Carolina area are still intrigued by the case and while some saw her as a "pariah," others viewed her as a victim. So to find out for herself, DePasquale asked the prison's communications team, they vetted her and then approved the interview.

"For me, it was important, as with all my interviewees, to see the reasoning behind decision-making," DePasquale said. "I just wanted to see Crystal as a human and understand why she lied, or just to know who she is."

What happened in the Duke lacrosse case?

Magnum initially told police in 2006 that she was raped while attending a team party hosted by Duke's men's lacrosse team on March 13 that year. The players hired and paid her and another exotic dancer to strip at the party.

The accusations garnered national attention, with Mike Nifong, then-Durham County district attorney and lead prosecutor in the case, telling CBS News during an interview in March 2006 that "there's no doubt a sexual assault took place," according to documents announcing the attorney's disbarment in 2007.

Nifong also told NBC 17 TV News, which is now known as WNCN, in March 2006 that, "The information that I have does lead me to conclude that a rape did occur."

"I am making a statement for the Durham community. This is not the kind of activity we condone, and it must be dealt with quickly and harshly," Nifong said to the North Carolina-based TV station "The circumstances of the rape indicated a deep racial motivation for some of the things that were done. It makes a crime that is by its nature one of the most offensive and invasive even more so."

"This is not a case of people drinking and it getting out of hand from that. This is something much, much beyond that."

DNA evidence was not traced back to the lacrosse players. Subsequently, Nifong was disbarred on June 16, 2007, by the North Carolina State Bar for lying in court and withholding the crucial DNA evidence that disproved Mangum's claims, according to Duke Law.

Evans, Finnerty and Seligmann sued Duke University

Following their new-found innocence, the three accused lacrosse players decided to sue Duke and former University President Richard Brodhead, according to past media reports.

Even after the settlement, the players continued to fight for criminal justice reform laws when they filed a suit against the City of Durham and its police department. Durham settled with the players in May 2014 as the city made a one-time grant of $50,000 to the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, CNN reported.

“As the City has maintained throughout, it believes that its police officers had an obligation to investigate the allegations made by Crystal Mangum in 2006 and that no police officer nor any other City employee engaged in improper conduct,” the City of Durham's statement said, per CNN. “The former District Attorney, Mike Nifong, was not a City employee, and Mr. Nifong was subsequently convicted of criminal contempt and disbarred for his actions.”

After the conclusion of the case, Evans graduated in 2006, while Seligmann transferred to Brown University and Finnerty to Loyola University Maryland, the Duke Chronicle reported. The case was also the subject of ESPN's 2016 documentary titled "Fantastic Lies."

"A 10-year retrospective of the Duke lacrosse case, in which a party thrown by members of the school's men's lacrosse team led to an accusation of rape — a claim that, though later proven to be false, ignited both a firestorm that damaged the school's prestige and an investigation that ruined careers," the description of the documentary reads.

Crystal Mangum did not admit to lying about allegations in 2008

When Mangum first spoke publicly after the case in October 2008, she did not confess to lying about the rape and sexual assault.

"My only intentions were for justice, and I wanted justice for myself,” she said.

During the news conference, Mangum referenced her book "The Last Dance for Grace" and said "a lot of things went wrong" in her case.

"I just hope 'The Last Dance of Grace' will give someone else the strength to come forward. Some child or some woman who has been harmed will come forward and have the strength to speak up."