Monthly Archives: April 2011

Last Call to Meet Our $500 Goal/Life After Exoneration

Disclaimer: The views expressed here at The Liberty Papers either by the post authors or views found in the comments section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Innocence Project nor its affiliates.

In support of our fundraising efforts for The Innocence Project, I had tried to dedicate at least one post per week over the last four weeks to the cause of criminal justice reform – many of which are the very reforms The Innocence Project are working to bring about. With today being the last day of this fundraising campaign, 228 “Innocence Partners” combined efforts has raised nearly $15,000 of the $20,000 target. As of this writing, you readers have already donated $375 – 75% of our $500 goal! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far or plans to donate. Remember: your donations are 100% tax deductible.

Believe it or not, in the time we joined this campaign nearly a month ago to help The Innocence Project, 2 individuals have been exonerated as a direct result of The Innocence Project’s help!

In case you are wondering what $20,000 can accomplish (the overall campaign’s goal), this is how far The Innocence Project says the money can go:

• Pay for post-conviction DNA testing that may prove innocence for 4 clients.

• Provide 16 exonerees with basic needs including food, rent, and transportation for the first month after release.

• Cover the costs to send 20 exonerees to testify before state legislatures to reform the criminal justice system.

• Send 25 local advocates to an Innocence Project training to learn how to advance wrongful conviction reforms in their state.

• Allow a staff attorney to represent 5 clients.

• Enable staff to advocate for wrongful conviction reforms in 6 states.

In this series of posts, I covered some of the reforms and issues The Innocence Project has been trying to bring to light such as compensation for the wrongfully convicted, eyewitness misidentification, and false confessions. Rather than doing a rush job writing a final piece for the series, I encourage everyone to follow this link for the Frontline episode entitled “Burden of Innocence” (I couldn’t find a nifty player to embed the episode into this post but you can watch the episode in its entirety there). This episode deals with life after these individuals have been exonerated and their struggles to reenter and rejoin free society. It seems that there is much work that needs to be done here as well.

Duke Accuser Crystal Mangum Charged with Stabbing Boyfriend


To this very day, there are individuals* who try to hold the Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Mangum up as a “victim” despite the fact that her gang rape accusations against the players were completely untrue. Crystal Mangum is NOT a victim but a menace to society. Not only did she falsely accuse these young men and do her best to ruin their reputations but she has since been convicted of child abuse and injury to personal property. She was also charged with arson but the charge was dropped because the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict.

Now the sainted** Crystal Mangum has been charged with “assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.”

WUSA 9 Reports:

DURHAM, NC (WRAL/CBS) – For the second time in 14 months, the Durham woman who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape has been charged with assaulting a man with whom she was living.

Crystal Mangum, 32, was charged Sunday with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. A judge set a $300,000 bond for her on Monday.

Police said Mangum stabbed Reginald Daye, 46, in the torso with a kitchen knife during a dispute at 3507 Century Oaks Drive early Sunday.

Daye was taken to Duke University Hospital to be treated for serious injuries, and Mangum was arrested in a nearby apartment.

His condition was unknown Monday.

A man who said he was Daye’s nephew called 911 to report the stabbing, saying it occurred while Daye and his girlfriend were arguing about rent money. The caller said police were called earlier while the couple argued, but the stabbing occurred after the officers left.

Notice that the alleged victim in this story was named? Mangum’s identity was not revealed when she was the alleged victim thanks to these absurd “rape shield” policies many media outlets follow. Another thing I have noticed in some of the coverage is that some of Mangum’s supporters are cautioning the media not to rush to judgment; she is innocent until proven guilty. These supporters are right of course, but where was this concern when the Duke athletes were made pariahs?

And where is Nancy Grace? Before writing this post, I took a look at her website, blog, and Twitter feed and didn’t find one mention of Crystal Mangum anywhere. It could be that she hasn’t had the opportunity to get into this case, perhaps she will be leading the charge to convict Crystal Mangum in the court of public opinion tonight on her television show?

I have my doubts.

» Read more

1 2 3 4