Former exotic dancer who accused Duke lacrosse players of rape says she lied about incident

A former exotic dancer who accused three lacrosse players at Duke University of rape admitted that she lied about the incident. 

“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t, and that was wrong. And I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me,” Crystal Mangum, 46, said during a web show, according to CNN.

Mangum is currently serving time at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women for a separate 2013 incident where she stabbed her boyfriend. 

“I made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God,” she said.

In 2006, Magnum accused three lacrosse players of raping her at a party. The three men were arrested after charges were brought and the team's season was canceled. 

In 2007, the players were exonerated by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper who was the state attorney general at the time. He said the charges never should have been brought. 

Magnum said she hopes the men can forgive her. 

“I want them to know that I love them, and they didn’t deserve that, and I hope that they can forgive me,” she stated.