BREAKING NEWS: The woman at the center of the infamous Duke lacrosse scandal has been released from prison, nearly two decades after the case shocked the nation.

Crystal Mangum, who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006, walked free after serving more than a decade behind bars for an unrelated second-degree murder conviction tied to the 2011 stabbing death of her boyfriend. Authorities confirmed she was released from a North Carolina correctional facility this week.

The original allegations were later declared baseless, with all charges dropped in 2007, and Mangum publicly admitted in 2024 that she fabricated the story. Her release is reigniting debate over one of America’s most controversial criminal justice cases — and its lasting impact on media, race, and due process.