“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t,” Crystal Mangum said in an interview with independent media outlet Let’s Talk With Kat from the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women.

“That was wrong, and I betrayed the trust of a lot of people who believed in me and made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God.”

18 years after her Duke Lacrosse lies, the woman who made the sexual assault accusations admits she made it all up. pic.twitter.com/aYTHdZIWe9

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 13, 2024

Mangum, 46, hopes people can “forgive” her, she said.

The convicted murderer had never publicly admitted to fabricating the rape allegation prior to Thursday’s interview, and North Carolina’s statute of limitations regarding perjury charges protects her from being prosecuted for lying under oath.

Nearly 20 years ago, Magnum accused three Duke lacrosse players of sexually assaulting her after she performed at a March 2006 team party. The athletes were soon arrested, and a national controversy ensued, with many supporters of Magnum’s false claims accusing the Duke players of racism.

The debacle led to the Blue Devils canceling their season. Eventually, all three players, David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann, were found innocent.

Magnum is currently serving a prison sentence for the murder of her then-boyfriend.

The story of the Duke Lacrosse rape hoax has long galvanized national attention and is the center of ESPN’s 2016 film Fantastic Lies.