Crystal Mangum, the woman who admitted making false rape allegations against three Duke lacrosse players, has been released from prison after serving time for the killing of her boyfriend.
Mangum was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2013 in connection with the April 2011 stabbing death of Reginald Daye.
Following the conviction, she was sentenced to 14 years behind bars.
After completing the custodial portion of that sentence, Mangum has now been granted parole.
Officials say she will remain under parole supervision for roughly nine more months before the sentence is considered fully served.
She was released from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and escorted to a vehicle, where a parole officer transported her to a friend’s home in Durham, which is expected to be her residence.
Mangum, a former exotic dancer, became a national figure in 2006 after she accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her—an allegation that was later shown to be false.
She and another dancer had been hired to perform at a team party on March 13, 2006.
After the event, she reported that she had been sexually assaulted by players at the party, a claim that quickly escalated into a high-profile criminal case.
The allegations drew intense national attention and became a flashpoint for debates involving class, race, gender, and perceptions of sex work.
“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t, and that was wrong.”
“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.”
In the aftermath of the lacrosse case, then-Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was found to have withheld key evidence from defense attorneys.
The discovery raised concerns that the accused athletes could have been exonerated sooner. Nifong was ultimately disbarred in 2007.
In Mangum’s later murder case, a police officer testified that he spoke with Daye in the hospital before Daye died and that Daye described ordering Mangum out of their apartment, saying he was tired of her bringing other men to the home, according to reporting from WRAL.
During the trial, Mangum told the court that Daye had assaulted her, saying he hit her, choked her, and kicked in a bathroom door while she was trying to hide, then pulled her out by her hair.
The officer said Daye admitted kicking open the door and dragging Mangum by her hair, but maintained that he was attempting to get away from her when she stabbed him.