Crystal Mangum, who falsely accused Duke University lacrosse players of rape nearly 20 years ago, was released Friday from a North Carolina prison after completing her sentence for killing her boyfriend.
The 47-year-old former exotic dancer left the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh around 9:49 a.m. EST wearing a gray sweatshirt and khaki pants.
She was escorted into a vehicle operated by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and driven to Durham, where she is expected to live with a friend, according to agency spokesperson Brad Deen.
Mangum had been serving time for second-degree murder in the 2013 death of her boyfriend, Reginald Daye.
She first drew national attention after performing at a March 13, 2006 party hosted by Duke lacrosse players and later accusing three team members of assault.
The claims against David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann sparked a nationwide debate over issues including sex work, race, gender and class.
Duke University lacrosse players wore practice jerseys bearing the numbers of David Evans (6), Collin Finnerty (13) and Reade Seligmann (45) ahead of their 2007 season opener.
Mangum later acknowledged that her accusations were false, but the claims had already caused significant harm.
Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was later found to have withheld exculpatory evidence from defense attorneys that might have cleared the players much sooner. He was disbarred in 2007.
In 2013, Mangum was convicted of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing her boyfriend, Reginald Daye, on April 3, 2011, and received a prison sentence of more than 14 years.