An exotic dancer who once accused three Duke University players of raping her admitted this week that she made up the 2006 allegations that sparked a fiery national conversation about gender, race and class.
Crystal Mangum, who is now in prison for second-degree murder, says she “made up a story that wasn't true” against former defendants David Evans, Colin Finnerty and Reed Seligman, who “didn't deserve it.”
“I gave false testimony against them, saying they raped me when they didn't, and that was wrong,” she said in an interview with podcaster Kate Caterena's “Let's Talk with Kat” that aired this week.
“I betrayed the trust of many 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.”
Mangum and another dancer were hired to perform at a party hosted by the Duke lacrosse players on March 13, 2006.
She claimed the players molested her in the blockbuster allegations, which touched on hot-button topics such as sex work, race and class.
Charges against the players were eventually dropped, but it was later revealed that Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong had withheld evidence from the defense that could have exonerated the men earlier.
“That night, Reed Seligman, Colleen Finnerty and Dave Evans, they took me into their house and trusted me,” Mangum said at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women.
“The Bible says you shall not do evil to your neighbor…and they were my brothers and they trusted me that I would not betray their trust.”
The 46-year-old said she was “looking for validation” when she made up the lies and now hopes former Duke players can one day accept her apology.
“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.”
The apology was too little too late for Finnerty, 38, who said she's been living under a cloud since 2006 and believes her peer group hasn't looked at her the same way since.
“It's been 18 years and it's been difficult for everyone involved,” Finerty said in a statement to NBC News on Friday. :
Mangum was convicted in 2013 of second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend, Reginald Day, on April 3, 2011. She was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison.
He is scheduled to be released on Feb. 27, 2026, according to North Carolina prison records.
Evans and Seligman did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment Friday.
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