Woman admits to falsely accusing Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006
Dec 13, 2024
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Almost two decades after making national headlines when she accused Duke lacrosse players of rape, Crystal Mangum is seeking forgiveness.
Mangum, who is currently incarcerated for the 2011 murder of her boyfriend, was interviewed in November for the podcast "Let's Talk with Kat". The interview was posted online on Thursday and is believed to be the first time she's admitted the accusations were false.
During the interview, Mangum was asked about a variety of topics, including what food she looks forward to eating when she leaves prison, what she would do if she was president, why she became an exotic dancer and her experiences, and if she had any regrets.
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In 2006, Mangum accused three players on the Duke lacrosse team of raping her. The charges against the players were dropped the following year.
At the end of the interview, Mangum mentioned the three former players by name and described them as her "brothers".
"They took me into their home," Mangum said. "The Bible says you shouldn't do harm to your neighbor that lives trustingly beside you. They were my brothers and they trusted I wouldn't betray their trust. I testified falsely against them by saying they raped me when they didn't. And that was wrong.
"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 validation from people and not from God," she continued. "That was wrong when God already loved me for who I was. I didn't need to seek validation from Him because I already had validation from Him. I just didn't know it.
"I hurt my brothers. I want them to know I love them and they didn't deserve it. I hope they can forgive me."
Mangum was convicted of her boyfriend's murder in 2013. She was sentenced to 14-18 years in prison.
The full interview can be viewed on the "Let's Talk with Kat" website.