Crystal Mangum, a former exotic dancer who in 2006 accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her, acknowledged for the first time in a new interview that she made up the accusations.
Mangum had said in 2006 that the players—David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann—raped her in a house near Duke’s campus during a team party at which she performed.
The players were arrested and charged with rape and other crimes. Then-Durham County district attorney Mike Nifong, who led the prosecution of the players, said that a sexual assault definitely took place. Then-North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper dropped the charges after taking over the case and concluding the students were innocent.
Nifong was disbarred for withholding evidence from defense lawyers.
“We did not get it right, causing the families to feel abandoned when they most needed support,” he said at the time. “This was a mistake. I take responsibility for it, and I apologize.”
Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann filed a lawsuit against both Brodhead and the university, ultimately reaching an undisclosed settlement.
Mangum, 42, was never charged in relation to the accusations she leveled against the players. She has been serving a prison sentence for second-degree murder after killing her boyfriend.
Mangum, who said in a 2008 book that she was assaulted, said in the new interview that she “made up a story that wasn’t true” because she “wanted validation from people and not from God.”
Mangum said she reads the Bible every day, relies on her faith, and is hopeful the players can forgive her.
“I hope that 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’re valuable,” she said, adding that the players did not deserve to be falsely accused.
She said that Mangum “shared something significant and vulnerable, despite the risks involved,” and called her courageous.
