Crystal Mangum
| Crystal Mangum | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Crystal Gail Mangum July 18, 1978 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Stripper |
| Criminal charge | Murder (second degree) |
| Criminal penalty | 14–18 years |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Spouse(s) | Kenneth McNeill |
| Children | 3 |
Crystal Gail Mangum (born July 18, 1978) is a woman from Durham, North Carolina, who is best known for making false allegations of rape against lacrosse players in the Duke lacrosse case. The fact that Mangum was an African-American woman working in the sex industry, while the accused were all white men, created extensive media interest and academic debate about race, class, gender and the politicization of the justice system.
In February 2010, she was arrested on charges of attempted murder of her live-in partner, Milton Walker. She was eventually convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, injury to personal property and resisting a public officer.
In November 2013, she was found guilty of second-degree murder after she repeatedly stabbed boyfriend Reginald Daye, who died ten days after she attacked him, and was sentenced to 14 to 18 years in prison.
Mangum was born and grew up in Durham, North Carolina, the daughter of Travis Mangum, a truck driver, and his wife Mary. She was the youngest of three children.
In 1996 she filed a police report alleging that three years earlier, when she was 14, she had been kidnapped by three assailants, driven to Creedmoor, North Carolina, and raped. One of those she accused was her boyfriend, who was 21 at the time. She subsequently backed away from the charges, a move relatives claimed was motivated by fear for her life. Mangum's father said he did not believe she was raped or injured, though her mother believed an incident could have occurred—but not in 1993. She thinks it is more likely to have happened when Crystal was 17 or 18 years old, shortly before she made the police report. Mangum's ex-husband, Kenneth Nathanial McNeill, believed the incident occurred as she said it did.
After graduation from high school in 1996, she joined the US Navy. She trained to operate radios and navigation technology. While serving in the Navy, she married McNeill. Her marriage quickly broke down. She reported to police that her husband had threatened to kill her, but the charge was dismissed when she failed to appear in court. She served for less than two years in the Navy before being discharged after becoming pregnant by a fellow sailor, with whom she went on to have another child.
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