The Woman Who Falsely Accused Duke Lacrosse Players of Rape Walks Free After Serving Time for Murder

The Woman Who Falsely Accused Duke Lacrosse Players of Rape Walks Free After Serving Time for Murder
47-year-old Crystal Mangum, the woman whose false rape allegations against Duke University lacrosse players ignited national controversy in 2006, was released from a North Carolina prison on Friday after serving time for the 2011 stabbing death of her boyfriend.
On February 27, 2026, Mangum was released from the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh after serving more than 14 years following her second-degree murder conviction in the death of 46-year-old Reginald Daye in Durham.
Mangum first drew national attention in March 2006 after accusing three Duke lacrosse players of sexually assaulting her during a party where she had been hired to perform. The allegations sparked widespread debate over race, class, and sexual assault before the case later unraveled. Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was disbarred in 2007 for withholding evidence that could have cleared the accused players.
In a December 2024 interview, Mangum admitted she had falsely accused the men.
“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t, and that was wrong,” she said.
Mangum was charged in the April 3, 2011 stabbing of Daye during an argument. During her 2013 trial, she claimed she acted in self-defense, testifying that Daye had assaulted and choked her before she grabbed a kitchen knife.
“He straddled me, hit me, and then he started choking me,” Mangum said in court. “I couldn’t breathe. My head hurt real bad.”
“I was just trying to survive and I felt like Reginald was trying to kill me,” she added during her testimony.
Prosecutors argued the evidence did not support her claim of self-defense, and Mangum was convicted of second-degree murder. She was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison.
She has been released under the terms of her parole and will remain under supervision for nine months.

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