President-elect Donald Trump weighed in Saturday on news that Crystal Mangum, the woman who accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006, has admitted to fabricating her allegations.
“Woman admits to totally fabricating accusations in the horrible Duke Lacrosse Case,” Trump wrote on social media. “She destroyed the lives of these young men.”
Mangum’s Confession
Mangum, now 46, made the confession during an interview at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, where she is serving a prison sentence for the 2011 murder of her boyfriend.
“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 admitted. “I made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God.”
Mangum expressed hope that the three falsely accused players – David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann – could forgive her. However, she cannot be prosecuted for perjury because the statute of limitations for such a charge in North Carolina is two years, The Chronicle, Duke University’s student newspaper, reported.
A History of False Accusations and Misconduct
The Duke lacrosse case became a national scandal in 2006. Mangum, then hired as a stripper for a party hosted by Duke lacrosse players, got into an altercation with another dancer at the event. After police were called, Mangum, fearing involuntary commitment to a drug and mental health center and the loss of custody of her child, falsely claimed she had been raped by members of the team.
The allegations were quickly seized upon by then-Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was running for re-election. Despite glaring inconsistencies in Mangum’s claims and lack of evidence, Nifong pursued the case, allegedly to bolster his political standing.
Nifong conspired with the director of a DNA lab to withhold exculpatory evidence showing that the DNA of multiple men, none of them Duke lacrosse players, was found on Mangum. He also pressured Mangum to identify three players from a lineup, leading to the false accusations against Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann.
Evidence Clearing the Players
The evidence against the players quickly fell apart. Seligmann proved he wasn’t at the party during the alleged assault, using ATM records, surveillance footage, cell phone evidence, and testimony from a taxi driver. His dorm card was also swiped during the time of the alleged incident.
Meanwhile, Mangum’s story repeatedly changed, leading to the dismissal of charges in December 2006. The North Carolina State Bar charged Nifong with ethics violations for his handling of the case, resulting in his disbarment. He also served one day in jail.
Exoneration and Aftermath
In 2007, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper declared the accused players “innocent” – a rare public exoneration for those accused of a crime. Despite being cleared, the players endured immense personal and professional fallout from the ordeal.
Mangum continued to claim for years that she was a victim, even writing a book to share her version of events.
Current Legal Status
Mangum is currently serving a 14-17 year sentence for second-degree murder in the 2011 death of her boyfriend, Reginald Daye. She was convicted in 2013 and is scheduled for release in February 2026.