Crystal Mangum, the exotic dancer who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006, has revealed that she lied. The woman appeared on the Let’s Talk with Kat podcast from prison, where she revealed that what she did was “wrong” of her. Mangum expressed, “I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t, and that was wrong.” The woman insisted that the disturbing tale she pinned on Collin Finnerty, David Evans, and Reade Seligmann and upheld for 18 years was a “made-up story that wasn’t true.”
“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t and that was wrong,” she said on the podcast. “That night, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and Dave Evans, they took me into their home, and they trusted (me)… The Bible says that you shouldn’t do harm to your neighbor… and they were my brothers, and they trusted me that I wouldn’t betray their trust.”
Magnum even revealed her reasoning behind lying on the three men, pointing to seeking “validation” from other human beings instead of doing right by God. The woman pleaded with the three men and urged them to someday forgive her for what she did to them.
“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 when God already loved me for who I was.”
“I hurt my brothers,” she said. “I want them to know that I love them and they didn’t deserve it and I hope they can forgive me.”
In the explosive case from 2006, Crystal Magnum accused Collin Finnerty, David Evans, and Reade Seligmann of raping her at a party on campus at Duke University. The case triggered uncomfortable conversations about race, class, and sex work as the trial took the country by storm. Ultimately, the charges against the lacrosse players were dropped.
It was later revealed that the Durham County District Attorney, Mike Nifong, had evidence from the defense that could have cleared the player’s names. However, it was found that Nifong withheld the information. After this news broke, WRAL News reported that the prosecutor was disbarred for his actions in 2007.
Interestingly enough, Magnum would be convicted 6 years later in 2013 for second-degree murder. She was found guilty of fatally stabbing her boyfriend, Reginald Daye, in 2011 and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Crystal Magnum is set to be released from prison on Feb. 27, 2026.
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