Crystal Mangum ,who had accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her in 2006, has been arrested and charged with "attempted first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, communicating threats, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property, identity theft and resisting a public officer."
The charges stemmed from an incident where she allegedly attacked her boyfriend, Milton Walker, threatened to stab him, and set his clothes on fire. She was arraigned on February 18, 2010, and bail was set at $1,000,000.http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/7068705/.
Mangum had accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her at a party on March 13, 2006. The charges were later dropped, the players were declared innocent, and District Attorney Mike Nifong was disbarred for his conduct in handling the case. At an October 23, 2008, press conference to promote her newly published memoir, Mangum continued to insist that she was attacked.FOX News: Duke Lacrosse Rape Accuser Insists She Was Attacked... (October 23, 2008)
Crystal Mangum, Duke Lacrosse Accuser, Charged With Attempted Murder, Arson
This CBS News report recaps the 2006 Duke lacrosse rape case and also provides details about Crystal Mangum's 2010 arrest, explaining that she is accused of assaulting her boyfriend, Milton Walker, setting his clothes on fire, and resisting arrest. There were three children in the house at the time of the incident, but it is unclear whether or not the children were Mangum's.
Crystal Mangum's Early Life
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Mangum approached police in 1996, claiming to have been kidnapped and raped by three men three years earlier when she was 14. She declined to pursue the case, but that year joined the U.S. Navy and soon after married and became pregnant by a fellow sailor. In 1998, Mangum accused her then-husband Kenneth McNeill of attempting to kill her; again, the charges were dropped after she declined to pursue the case.FOXNews: Crystal Gail Mangum: Profile of the Duke Rape Accuser (April 11, 2007)
Mangum and the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case
In March 2006, Mangum, working as an exotic dancer, was hired to perform at a party accompanied by fellow stripper Kim Roberts. Mangum told police later that night that players at the party had cornered her in a bathroom where they sexually assaulted and raped her. However, DNA samples gathered from Mangum the night of the alleged attack matched none of the players at the house, but instead revealed that at least three other men had recently left DNA in her vagina and on her underwear.Washington Post: All Charges Dropped Against 3 at Duke (April 12, 2007)
''The Last Dance for Grace: The Crystal Mangum Story''
More than 18 months after charges were dropped against the Duke University lacrosse players, Mangum's book, The Last Dance for Grace: The Crystal Mangum Story, was released. During an October 23, 2008, press conference to promote the memoir, Mangum continued to insist that she was attacked. Mangum plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book to help battered women.FOX News: Duke Lacrosse Rape Accuser Insists She Was Attacked... (October 23, 2008)
