QUICK HIT: Duke Lax accuser Crystal Mangum admits she lied
Mangum, who is in prison for murdering her boyfriend, made the admission during a podcast interview
On a recent “Let’s Talk With Kat” podcast released this past week, Crystal Mangum became the center of attention once again in North Carolina.
Mangum admitted on camera that made up the rape allegation against former Duke lacrosse players; David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann.
During the interview, Mangum talks about finding God, believing in Jesus and describes Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann as her "brothers" who took her into their home before making her admission that she lied.
The interview can be viewed here and Mangum’s admission comes near the end of the clip. Here is what she said, verbatim:
"I testified falsely against them [the Duke lacrosse players] 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 and made up a story that wasn't true because I wanted the validation from people and not from God. And that was wrong. God already loved me for who I was regardless. I didn't need to seek validation because I already had validation from him, I just didn't know it. And I hurt my brothers. And I hope that they can forgive me and I want them to know that I love them. And they didn't deserve that and I hope they can forgive me. And I hope that they can heal and trust God and know that God loves them and that...God is loving them through me, letting them know that they are valuable and that they didn't deserve that."
Perhaps ironically, the best write-up of this turn of events that I’ve seen so far can be found at the Duke Chronicle.
Mangum is currently incarcerated after being convicted in 2013 of murdering her boyfriend. She was sentenced to 17 years and nine months for second degree murder and is slated to be released in February 2026. Her record, which includes DWI, fleeing police, assault on police and a larceny charge, can be looked up at the Dept. of Public Safety.
Mangum’s utterance dredges up the whole Mike Nifong debacle, with then-Attorney General Roy Cooper having to step in and assign special prosecutors to review the case; James Coman and Mary Winstead. Coman passed away in 2018.
It was demonstrated at the time that there was zero medical evidence supporting Mangum’s accusations, no witnesses confirmed her claims, and Mangum changed her story over and over. Despite all that, Nifong cranked up the publicity and the whole thing became a circus from hell.
Cooper entered the fray in January 2007 but didn’t issue findings that the lacrosse players were innocent until mid-April of that year.
“The result of our review and investigation shows clearly that there is insufficient evidence to proceed on any of the charges,” Cooper said during the April 2007 press conference. “Today we are filing notices of dismissal for all charges against Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans. The result is that these cases are over, and no more criminal proceedings will occur.
“We believe that these cases were the result of a tragic rush to accuse and a failure to verify serious allegations,” Cooper said. “Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges.”
It’s worth noting Cooper also said that Mangum would not be prosecuted for lying and that his two investigators thought that “she may actually believe the many different stories that she has been telling.”
Read the full press conference remarks: CNN Media Transcript of Roy Cooper's Press Conference
Useful links to refresh your memory:
Original Duke Univ. Lacrosse Case Media website
The website points to a "permanent website" link, which goes to an error page. This website page has been archived on WBM multiple times.THE DUKE LACROSSE CASE, INNOCENCE, AND FALSE IDENTIFICATIONS: A FUNDAMENTAL FAILURE TO “DO JUSTICE” - By Robert P. Mosteller