False accuser in Duke Lacrosse rape case finally admits lie: ‘I made up a story for validation’

During an appearance on "Let's Talk With Kat," Mangum, who is currently in prison for murdering her boyfriend, said, "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 and made up a story that wasn't true because I wanted validation from people and not from God. And that was wrong. I hope that they can forgive me."

In March 2006, Mangum falsely accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her while she was performing at a team party. The players she accused, David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann, were arrested and a national controversy over the alleged incident and racism erupted. The allegations were published in a lengthy Rolling Stone article by Janet Reitman and the story became a touchstone for race and gender politics nationally. The magazine was forced to retract the story in 2015. 88 Duke professors signed a letter backing the woman and her claims against the students.

In response to the allegations, former Duke University President Richard Brodhead accepted the resignation of then-head men’s lacrosse coach Mike Pressler, canceled the remainder of the season, and suspended the three players from school after they were indicted for rape, even though he asked the public not to prejudge the case.

During a March 2006 interview with CBS News, former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was the lead prosecutor in the case, said, "There's no doubt a sexual assault took place" and that it was "racially motivated."

All three players were found innocent but Mangum wasn’t prosecuted for perjury due to questions about her mental health. However, she cannot be prosecuted now because the statute of limitations on perjury in North Carolina is only two years.

Nifong was disbarred in 2007 by the North Carolina State Bar for lying in court and withholding DNA evidence which absolved the defendants. The players sued Brodhead and Duke after their case was dismissed alleging that the president made false statements and conspired to deny them of their right to a fair trial. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Evans graduated from Duke in 2006. Seligmann transferred to Brown University and Finnerty transferred to Loyola University Maryland.

In her 2008 book Last Dance for Grace: The Crystal Mangum Story, Mangum wrote, "I will never say that nothing at all happened that night.” In 2011, Mangum was indicted for first-degree murder and two counts of larceny. She is currently serving a 14 to 18-year prison sentence. The previous year she was convicted on misdemeanor charges after setting a fire to her home with her three kids inside.

In 1993, when she was 14 years old, Mangum claimed to have been kidnapped by three men and raped. However, the case was not pursued because she claimed she was afraid for her life.