Celebrating the Man from Nazareth / Mangum defense fund

Click on link at end of blog to view official 2012 j4n Christmas card

Word count: 1,221
In a few days we will be paying homage to the Man from Nazareth and his birth in a manger in Bethlehem… however, amid regaling, exchanging gifts, and feasting on succulent meals with family and dear friends, as is customary in this worldwide tradition, I implore that everyone takes time to think about what is truly important in life. I admit that some expensive and coveted items are nice, they are only objects… mere possessions. If you take a deep look into your soul, I am sure that you will conclude, as do I, that the truly most important things in life are freedom and loved ones. Freedom to roam about to take in the glories of nature that have been bestowed upon us, and the ability to share our hearts with dearly beloved family and friends are at the core of what fills the human kind with contentment and serenity.

It is extremely sad that freedom and family contact have been maliciously taken from Crystal Mangum, the Duke Lacrosse victim/accuser, by a biased and sadistic justice system all for the purpose of exacting payback against her for her role in the Duke Lacrosse case. This Christmas will mark Crystal Mangum’s 632nd day of incarceration within the Durham County correctional facility on trumped up murder and larceny charges that transpired in a crime in which she was the victim of domestic violence… approximately 21 months of wrongful incarceration by a justice system that is corrupted itself. A justice system gone awry wherein: (1) prosecutors collaborate with a medical examiner to concoct a criminally bogus autopsy report on Reginald Daye (received a non-fatal stab wound by Mangum in self-defense); (2) defense attorneys join the conspiracy to work against Mangum’s best interests by pretending to defend her while undermining her; (3) an expert defense witness refusing to provide a written report exculpatory to Mangum; (4) a biased media with an anti-Mangum agenda to keep the prosecutorial misdeeds and malfeasances hidden from the public; and (5) politicians, clergy, and civil rights and social organizations (NAACP, ACLU, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, etc.) lacking the will and/or courage to stand against blatant injustices.

The obvious question is why would Medical Examiner Dr. Clay Nichols, Mangum defense attorneys, a defense expert witness, the media, and social advocacy organizations work with Durham prosecutions in what is obviously a vendetta prosecution to mete out payback for Mangum’s role in the 2006 Duke Lacrosse case? The obvious answer to the question is that they all lack Nifongian courage… that exceedingly rare quality defined as the courage to do the right thing in the face of harsh and extreme consequences. Dr. Clay Nichols, Dr. Christena L. Roberts (defense expert witness), Mangum’s defense attorneys (Woody Vann and Chris Shella), media-types, men and women of the cloth, and politicians all witnessed what happened to former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong when he dared to do the right thing by prosecuting the Duke Lacrosse defendants against a torrent of opposition whipped up by the defense attorneys and the mainstream media. Nifong’s prosecution of the lacrosse defendants, who were positioned atop a pedestal by the media, placed his election bid for the D.A.’s office in severe jeopardy… but that did not dissuade him. It took all the might of the North Carolina State Bar to have Nifong tossed off the case. Because Mike Nifong stuck to his integrity-guns, the decision was made by the Powers-That-Be to stick it to him… and the State went about persecuting him without mercy. He was disbarred, sentenced to jail, deprived of immunity from civil action… all while being skewered in the media. For exhibiting Nifongian courage in the Duke Lacrosse case, Nifong suffered the most draconian and unimaginable of consequences. It is therefore no wonder why Dr. Nichols would prepare a criminally fraudulent autopsy report, Dr. Roberts would refuse to produce a written report, the media would keep wrongdoings concealed from the eyes and ears of the public, and the NAACP, ACLU, and other community groups would remain silent and idle… they all lack Nifongian courage.

In addition to loss of freedom, Mangum has been deprived of visitation rights with her beloved children by Family Court Judge Doretta Walker. Although acknowledging that Mangum is not an unfit mother to her three children, Judge Walker, in the summer of 2011, ordered that Mangum be denied visitation with her three children while she was in any detention center. This gratuitously malicious ruling coincides with other nonsensical legal actions in this trumped up case against Mangum.

So, this holiday season take measure of the things that are truly important… freedom, family, and friends, and place them before money and what it begets. I am sure that this is something that we call all agree upon… even the non-believers, naysayers, ill-willers, detractors, and others of that ilk.

And as we ring in the New Year, let us all be resolute in developing that special courage that requires an idealism, determination, and fortitude… the ability to do what is ethically right, even when doing so is unpopular and defies political correctness. In other words, let’s resolve to become individuals who are teeming with Nifongian courage. That is what would truly make this state, this nation, and this world a better place, and it would without doubt be the way to best pay homage to the Man from Nazareth. 

ADDENDUM: Mangum Defense Fund

It has recently come to my attention that there are two online addresses for a website that is evidently soliciting contributions for a defense fund for Crystal Mangum. These URL addresses are http://www.cgmdefensefund.com, and http://www.crystalmangumdefensefund.com.  My understanding is that these sites were set up by Attorney Mark Simeon, an acquaintance of Ms. Mangum. As of this point in time I have not visited these sites, however I plan to do so shortly.

I have never met Mr. Simeon, never spoke to him, never phoned him, and never tried to contact him. Through an intermediary I let him know that he has my permission to used this blog site as a resource for information about Ms. Mangum’s case or provide links on his site to information I collected and presented on this site and my website. That said, I want to make it clear that in no way do I, or the Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong, condone, support, recommend, or have any affiliation with Mr. Simeon and his online sites. In general, I am not a fan of online solicitation because of its inherent problems with accountability. The Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong and I definitely do not receive any benefits from these sites.

As a refresher, the Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong is nothing more than a grass-roots organization that is strictly self-supporting… in other words, it does not solicit donations, host fund-raising events, or engage in any activity for the purpose of procuring money. It is not a non-profit organization (does not have a 501 [c] 3 designation), with the brunt of expenses (tee-shirts, postage, travel, printing costs, etc.) being satisfied by me personally.

Regarding the online defense fund sites, I merely advise potential donors to proceed with due diligence and caution as they would with any web-based site designed to solicit contributions. 

Click on link below to view the official Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong 2012 Christmas card.

http://www.justice4nifong.com/ecard/hday/xmCard12.html

Dr. Christena L. Roberts – the newest addition of conspirators against Mangum

Word count: 1,633

In a Durham courtroom last Friday, December 7, 2012, Defense Attorney Woody Vann, who was appointed as Crystal Mangum’s backup assistant, brought before the court his scheduled Monday, December 10th meeting with Black Mountain forensic pathologist Christena L. Roberts, M.D., and an unidentified member from the Capital Defender’s office where the tête-à-tête was to take place. This clandestine meeting had been arranged by Mr. Vann without the knowledge of Ms. Mangum, the murder defendant who is representing herself with his appointment as a backup assistant. The stated purpose of this meeting was to discuss Dr. Roberts’ sudden concerns about the privacy rights of the deceased Reginald Daye (the intoxicated abuser who was stabbed by Mangum in self-defense on April 3, 2011). Upon hearing about this gathering for the first time while at her court hearing, Mangum expressed her desire to be present.

Honorable Judge Michael O’Foghludha, one of a revolving door of black robers to preside over Mangum’s hearings, instructed for her to be in attendance (brought over from jail in chains and leg irons) at the get-together. However, the judge set a condition that the meeting was to consist only of Dr. Roberts, Mr. Vann, an unidentified person from the Capital Defense office, and Crystal Mangum. In other words, Sidney B. Harr, a retired physician and supporter of Mangum, was not invited.

In my blog of December 8, 2012, I made the following insightful and prophetic statements:

“A written report by Roberts for a ten hour investigation not completed after more than five months? It doesn’t make sense. What does make since is her desire not to produce a written report about Reginald Daye’s death or the autopsy report by North Carolina Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Clay Nichols. Dr. Roberts is well aware that any report she drafts will directly implicate Duke University Hospital in Daye’s death, and it will support my contention, all along, that Medical Examiner Nichols’ autopsy report of April 14, 2011, contains false findings and an unsupported conclusion regarding Daye’s death. In addition, the report will sink the prosecution’s claim that Mangum’s stabbing of Daye (which was in self-defense) was the direct and proximate cause of his death.”

I also stated as follows regarding this mysterious meeting arranged behind Mangum’s back and its objectives:

“Why travel all the way from Black Mountain, NC, to Durham just in order to give Crystal Mangum a verbal report only… which is what I am expecting. My expectation is that after five months with no written report at hand, Dr. Christena Roberts has no intention of putting in writing the sins of Dr. Nichols, Duke University Hospital, and the City of Durham. This trip, I believe, is part of an intricate ploy to attempt to address Judge Robert Hobgood’s order to provide Ms. Mangum with a written report and yet still not put anything in writing. It’s time for the gamesmanship by Durham prosecutors and turncoat defense attorneys to stop and for Dr. Roberts to immediately provide Mangum with a written report as directed by Judge Hobgood.”

And, for good measure, using Sherlockian deduction, I averred:

“If a written report from Dr. Roberts is forthcoming on the possible Monday visit, I will be shocked.” Unfortunately, I was not shocked… this Monday, December 10th, there was no report from Dr. Roberts.

On Monday, December 10, 2012, at about 3:00 pm, Vann, Roberts, and Mangum convened at the Capital Defenders office, without the presence of the unidentified person from the office. This meeting, most likely orchestrated by Mr. Vann was to help the forensic pathologist Dr. Roberts contravene Judge Robert Hobgood’s order to produce a written report (about Reginald Daye’s death and autopsy) and turn it over to Crystal Mangum. Judge O’Foghludha’s order limiting attendees at this meeting (in particular excluding Mangum supporter Dr. Harr) left Ms. Mangum, a tethered lamb, in a den of famished jackals. Had Dr. Harr been invited to the soiree to look after Mangum’s interests, you can bet that Dr. Roberts would have been a no-show.

For what Ms. Mangum estimated to be three hours, she stated that Dr. Roberts went over the April 14, 2011 Autopsy Examination Report prepared by Dr. Clay Nichols, the North Carolina Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, point by point. According to Mangum, the doctor stated that Dr. Nichols’ autopsy report was essentially accurate. When queried about the perforation to the left lung mentioned in the autopsy report and its absence in the operative report, Dr. Roberts tried to convince Mangum that it is possible for surgeons to miss certain lesions that are found at autopsy… in other words, the emergency department doctors, radiologists, and trauma surgeons at Duke University Hospital, missed a laceration to the left lung and diaphragm. This explanation is a variant on another explanation given earlier from Dr. Roberts via Woody Vann which explained that the lesion to the left lung was caused by the insertion of a chest tube… in other words, Duke University Hospital medical staff injured Daye’s left lung while introducing a chest tube. I am not sure what explanation Dr. Roberts gave for the autopsy report stating that the fundus of the stomach had a sutured laceration whereas the operative report mentioned that the stomach appeared to be normal. In addition to discrepancies between the autopsy report and other medical records of Daye with regards to the left kidney and diaphragm, there is also the question of the multiple left upper extremity lesions described by Dr. Nichols as “defensive injuries”… their presence being contradicted by a preoperative orthopedic consultation and EMS assessment of Daye at the scene. Not only that, but prosecution discovery photographs showed no lesions to the left upper extremity, neither during his hospitalization nor postmortem.

At this meeting, Dr. Roberts and Attorney Vann spent three hours attempting to convince Crystal Mangum that the autopsy report by Dr. Clay Nichols was accurate and correct, and that the case against her was strong. In particular, they tried to make her believe that if they were to produce a written report, it would be detrimental to her case, and be subject to retrieval by the prosecution. This makes absolutely no sense because if the prosecution wanted, they could easily hire their own forensic pathologist to review the autopsy report… but they won’t, because it knows that that would only bring to light the flaws of the Nichols report.

In avoiding the order by Judge Hobgood for Dr. Roberts to produce a written report and send it to Mangum, Dr. Roberts and Woody Vann are hoping that this Monday meeting is a satisfactory substitute. Dr. Roberts even went so far as to say to Mangum that she would not produce a written report. She also told Ms. Mangum that she had not yet completed her investigation.

Well, congratulations are in order for Mr. Vann who has successfully turned Dr. Roberts to the Dark Side… welcoming her to the growing list of conspirators bent on convicting Mangum (the victim of domestic violence) of the first degree murder of Reginald Daye – whose death for which she was not responsible. All along, since he was first appointed by the Court to represent Crystal Mangum against charges related to the April 3, 2011 incident, Mr. Vann’s mission was to work with the prosecution in convicting Mangum, to protect Medical Examiner Clay Nichols (who went out of his way to prepare a fraudulent report to facilitate a murder conviction with a life sentence), to conceal Duke University Hospital’s culpability in Daye’s death, and to eliminate any legal liability against the City of Durham for its malicious prosecution and unjust incarceration of Mangum.

Dr. Christena L. Roberts finds herself entrapped in this legal morass of false statements and intrigue, without an easy means with which to extricate herself. Had she been cognizant of the pitfalls beforehand of being forced to tell the truth and incriminating the state’s deputy chief medical examiner, Dr. Roberts would never have undertaken the assignment. Realistically, there is no other medical examiner or physician in the Tar Heel State who would be willing to review Reginald Daye’s death and autopsy. That is because they all lack Nifongian courage*. They’re afraid to buck the Powers-That-Be.

For Dr. Roberts to defy Judge Hobgood’s order to provide a written report to Mangum is an outrage and affront to the principles of equal justice for all. Mangum is deserving of it so that she can prepare her defense. The defiance of Hobgood’s order along with the entire vendetta-driven case is a humongous blot on the state of North Carolina, and all Durhamians and Tar Heelians should be shamed and embarrassed by it.

Unfortunately, the mainstream media, which has shown much interest in cell phone records of former UNC football coach Butch Davis, and the many parking tickets accrued by UNC football players that were surreptitiously paid off, lacks even a scintilla of apparent curiosity about the autopsy report by Dr. Clay Nichols… despite the report’s inconsistencies and contradictions with other medical records that are easily understandable by anyone with a fifth grade reading comprehension level. By assuming a position of ignorance of the misdeeds and malfeasances associated with the Mangum’s prosecution based on Nichols’ criminally fraudulent autopsy report, the mainstream media, both locally and nationally, can join the Durham prosecutorial team, Mangum’s defense attorneys, and now Dr. Christena L. Roberts in protecting the state’s Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Clay Nichols, Duke University Hospital, and the City of Durham. By not providing a written report, Dr. Roberts is protecting herself, as well. 


* “Nifongian courage” is from the Dictionary of Harr and is defined as: “the courage to do the right thing in the face of the most harsh and extreme consequences.”

Anniversary of “Day of Infamy” a day of disappointment in Court

Word count: 1,357

Note:  This blog was written prior to seeing

The Herald-Sun article of December 7, 2012

On Friday, December 7, 2012, the 71st anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it is only fitting that a few bombs were dropped on Crystal Mangum’s second court appearance in which she was representing herself. Mangum, the Duke Lacrosse victim/accuser who now faces trumped up murder and larceny charges as part of a vendetta prosecution, was expecting to have her Motion to Dismiss the Larceny of Chose in Action charge heard before the Court… however, that did not happen. The exact actions that took place in the courtroom are unknown as none of the members of the Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong were in attendance… this due to them being misled by a scheduled appearance of Ms. Mangum on the Court docket which was for twelve noon, whereas her hearing was actually conducted two hours earlier at ten AM.

So without any firsthand information about what transpired at the hearing, the following is based upon what I have been able to piece together about the courtroom events. Honorable Judge Michael O’Foghludha, a Superior Court Judge from Durham presided over the hearing, and he made the determination not to address Mangum’s Motion to Dismiss. My understanding is that Judge O’Foghludha decided not to hear the case because a Certificate of Service had not been filed, and Durham Assistant District Attorney Charlene Coggins-Franks complained to the judge that she had just received a copy of the motion. The fact is that Mangum’s motion was filed exactly one week earlier on Friday, November 30, 2012, at 10:17 AM, along with my Petition for writ of mandamus seeking Mangum’ release from custody on her own recognizance. After filing both documents with the Clerk of Court’s office, I went up one flight to the sixth floor and handed the stamped motion and petition to the receptionist in the District Attorney’s office. Six days later, in the mid-afternoon of Thursday, December 6, 2012, the Durham D.A.’s office had the courtesy to inform me that Mangum’s motion would be turned over to Ms. Coggins-Franks. I am unaware as to when the prosecutor actually did take possession of Mangum’s motion.

That said, Judge O’Foghludha could have heard Mangum’s Motion to Dismiss; the lack of a Certificate of Service shouldn’t’ve represented any impediment to his bringing her motion before the court and ruling on it. Fact is that he elected not to hear the motion, and I can fully understand why. Bottom line is that it takes courage to make a ruling that is favorable to Crystal Mangum, even when completely backed by law and morality. Mangum’s case is so politically charged that not only attorneys, but judges cower at the prospect of having to choose between doing the right thing or carrying out the wishes of the avengers of the Duke Lacrosse defendants and their Carpetbagger families. The absence of a Certificate of Service was the tiny porous opening that the honorable judge needed in order to jettison responsibility for acting on a motion that would undoubtedly force him to do the right thing… and grant Mangum’s Motion to Dismiss the Larceny of Chose in Action charge. Courage is a commodity that is in extremely short supply in our society, and the one person who did possess it and stood up in defiance of the Powers-That-Be in order to try and see that justice was done, was himself done in by the justice system with the assistance of the mainstream media… that man of uncommon courage and integrity is former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.

Paragraph of enlightenment: It is not only Mangum’s defense attorneys, but anyone and everyone connected with the vile and vendetta-driven prosecution of Mangum, who is subsequently under pressure and duress to act in accordance with the wishes of the Powers-That-Be. There was a purpose in making an example of Mike Nifong… and that was to discourage any similar acts of independent legal valor. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why Judge O’Foghludha, in using any excuse at hand, chose to pass on a hearing of Crystal Mangum’s motion to dismiss… kicking the can further down the road another six and a half weeks when the next court appearance for Mangum is scheduled on January 22, 2013. If the prosecution was so thoroughly disadvantaged by not being given notice of the defendant’s motion to dismiss and time to prepare, then the next court date should have been set within a week or two at which time the motion could be heard.

Another development, from what sources have told me, is that Dr. Christena L. Roberts is supposedly planning to visit Ms. Mangum on Monday, December 10, 2012. Dr. Roberts is a forensic pathologist hired with State funds to evaluate Reginald Daye’s death and his autopsy report. The Court authorized payment to her in an order by Judge Henry Hight signed on June 18, 2012, however, according to Woody Vann, who is supposed to be Mangum’s back-up assistant, he told the court approximately two weeks ago that the written report by Roberts had not yet been completed. A written report by Roberts for a ten hour investigation not completed after more than five months? It doesn’t make sense. What does make since is her desire not to produce a written report about Reginald Daye’s death or the autopsy report by North Carolina Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Clay Nichols. Dr. Roberts is well aware that any report she drafts will directly implicate Duke University Hospital in Daye’s death, and it will support my contention, all along, that Medical Examiner Nichols’ autopsy report of April 14, 2011, contains false findings and an unsupported conclusion regarding Daye’s death. In addition, the report will sink the prosecution’s claim that Mangum’s stabbing of Daye (which was in self-defense) was the direct and proximate cause of his death.

Why travel all the way from Black Mountain, NC, to Durham just in order to give Crystal Mangum a verbal report only… which is what I am expecting. My expectation is that after five months with no written report at hand, Dr. Christena Roberts has no intention of putting in writing the sins of Dr. Nichols, Duke University Hospital, and the City of Durham. This trip, I believe, is part of an intricate ploy to attempt to address Judge Robert Hobgood’s order to provide Ms. Mangum with a written report and yet still not put anything in writing. It’s time for the gamesmanship by Durham prosecutors and turncoat defense attorneys to stop and for Dr. Roberts to immediately provide Mangum with a written report as directed by Judge Hobgood.

If a written report from Dr. Roberts is forthcoming on the possible Monday visit, I will be shocked. However you can bet that it will be watered down like the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy… all punches will be pulled.

Also, you can rest assured that if I get my hands on a copy of the report, I will make it assessable to view of people worldwide on this blog site… the true source of enlightenment on all things related to the Duke Lacrosse case and beyond.

Finally, on this last Friday, the 7th, I received a notice that certified mail was awaiting me at the post office. I attempted to retrieve it Friday morning, but it had not yet been delivered to the post office. Now, I do not know the identity of the sender, but using Sherlockian deduction, I have reason to believe that it is from the Authorized Practices Committee of the State Bar. I will collect it on Monday, and if it is the motion by the Bar, I will upload it on this blog site along with my response, once completed.

Although many bombs have been dropped Friday, as the dust settles, I will try to parse out the truth from the innuendo and shine light where the shadow of darkness now conceals the truth about the bogus charges against Crystal Mangum… a victim of domestic violence by Reginald Daye and a victim of vendetta justice by the State. 

Regarding Mangum case, the State and media are sending the public the wrong message about domestic violence

Word count: 2,563

After reading the blog, Click on the link at the end
to access a directory with additional information.

Today’s news stories are filled with reports about domestic violence which often result in death of one party or murder-suicide. However, the publicized cases are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of domestic violence instances occurring in the state that are not covered by the media. The frequency and likelihood of a fatal outcome in these disputes is finally being brought forth, as well as the need to take measures to address these crimes. That is all good, however, the treatment of Duke Lacrosse victim/accuser Crystal Mangum by the State and the media is one giant leap backward.

Ever since she was identified as the accuser in the Duke Lacrosse case, Ms. Mangum has been in the justice system’s and the mainstream media’s crosshairs. Although Mangum claimed to have been sexually abused by partygoer’s at a March 13, 2006, Duke lacrosse hosted beer-guzzling, stripper ogling bacchanal, talk was bandied about whether or not she should face criminal charges after Attorney General Roy Cooper dropped charges against the three Duke Lacrosse defendants, without precedence proclaimed them to be “innocent,” and then averred that “nothing happened.” Although Mr. Cooper refused to pursue charges against Mangum because of her supposed emotional problems and mental instability, I suspect the real reason for not charging her was because if taken to trial, the truth would come out… a truth about which the State and media did not want Durhamians and Tar Heelians to know.

A Duke Lacrosse trial would have brought to the surface a lot of unseemly activity by the Blue Devil’s team which had earned it the disreputable reputation it had… one which forced Duke University President Richard Brodhead to warn the lacrosse Coach Pressler to rein in his players… one in which a third of the team had had run-ins with the law (mainly misdemeanors associated with alcohol, under-aged drinking, open alcoholic containers in the car, public drunkenness, and urinating in public), and one which showed disdain towards females. Under the light of any amount of scrutiny, no matter how cursory, the accusation of sexual abuse by this motley crew would be more than plausible.

I surmise that former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, knowing the racial (Ms. Mangum and another African American dancer were called the N-word epithet by partygoers) and political implications of this case, and how the powerful Duke University would likely sweep the incident under the carpet, took control of the investigation in order to assure that equal justice for all was the outcome of this case. That’s when the State stepped in, with the State Bar targeting Mr. Nifong in order to get him off the case. Not only that, but the State and media set out to make an example of Nifong in order to assure that in the future no attorney would dare oppose the will of the Powers-That-Be. Mr. Nifong was then disbarred on some trumped up charges, while the NAACP, and leaders in the African American community silently sat on their hands doing nothing while he was persecuted to the most extreme extent.

In what was to develop into a pattern, Mangum’s side of the story was not presented to the public.

Approximately four years later, Mangum was involved in a domestic violence incident in which an ex-boyfriend struck her repeatedly in the face because of an unflattering comment she made about him. This February 17, 2010 attack, which took place before her three children, galvanized the oldest one to phone 9-1-1 seeking assistance for their mother out of fear for her welfare or life. This was the opening that the State had long sought… a chance for payback against Mangum, the Duke Lacrosse accuser. Even Mangum was wary about the role her past might play regarding the treatment she received by the Durham Police force… so she advised them that their assistance was not required and identified herself using her sister’s name. However, once the men and women in blue had her true identity, the plotting began in earnest.

A bathtub fire of unknown origin was allowed by police to burn without attempts to extinguish it while awaiting the fifteen minute arrival of Durham’s Bravest. Several fire truck units and two dozen firefighters were roused from their beds in the middle of the knight to douse a few clothes burning in a bathtub. Although none of the building’s structure was damaged by flame, the smoke damage to the bathroom that was the consequence of police idleness was extensive. At most, the charge sought against the fire-starter should have been a misdemeanor vandalism, and not felony first degree arson as was indicted by a grand jury.

When led from the apartment, Mangum was held handcuffed in a patrol car while officers talked and mingled with Mangum’s ex-boyfriend. Although he initiated the physical altercation by punching Mangum repeatedly in the face, he was neither arrested nor charged… and instead was described as a “victim of Mangum.” That is the story that the media carried, with no investigator or media-type interviewing Ms. Mangum for her account of what had transpired.

This is a definite case of domestic violence in which the true victim, Mangum, is labeled as the aggressor in an outrageously unbelievable reversal of roles. But the State and the media did not want to delve into the specifics… and neither did the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a Durham-based organization. Back in 2010, Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong members Sidney B. Harr and Steven Matherly went to that organization to seek support and assistance for Mangum, a victim of domestic violence who was being wrongfully imprisoned in a vendetta prosecution by the State. The Coalition refused to provide any help for Crystal Mangum.

Although the State planned to have Mangum languish in jail for a couple of years before bringing her case to trial, her bond was unexpectedly satisfied after only three months of incarceration, at which time she was release… but under electronic monitoring house arrest. The trial that followed months later resulted in her conviction of three trumped up misdemeanor charges, and a mistrial on the most serious felony first degree arson charge… this despite a featherweight defense. Mangum was sentenced to time served and the prosecutors decided not to re-try her on the arson case.

This brings us to the current legal episode in which Crystal Gail Mangum is being charged with first degree murder in the April 13, 2011 death of Reginald Daye, and two counts of “larceny of chose in action.” The latter charge was filed concomitantly with the murder charge in order to elevate it to first degree status using the “felony-murder rule.” This charge is totally bogus as none of the elements required for “larceny of chose in action” are met as: (1) Mangum did not steal any cashier’s checks and Daye admitted in a police report that he gave the checks to Mangum; (2) Mangum never converted or attempted to convert the cashier’s checks in order to unlawfully obtain the property of another person or corporation; and (3) with Daye’s untimely and unfortunate death – for which Mangum had no responsibility – the prosecution lacks a prosecuting witness. Defense attorneys for Mangum for more than a year and a half have refused to challenge the baseless larceny charge; something that a reasonable person with full knowledge of the facts would conclude that Mangum’s representation was not acting in accordance with her best interests.

That this is a vendetta prosecution by the State is obvious, but what is cleverly concealed from the public by the State and media is the roles of the two participants in this domestic violence incident… as once again, Mangum, the true victim, is the designated assailant, and Reginald Daye, the true aggressor, is depicted as the victim. Although Daye was the victim of a stabbing, which Mangum admits to have inflicted in self-defense, he was the perpetrator of the domestic violence that preceded it and of which it was a consequence.

The State has played down the truths about Reginald Daye while the mainstream media has shown remarkable ambivalence about knowing the man and his demons. Reginald Daye had a violent criminal background that included assault on a female… brass knuckles even being recovered in his apartment. In a police interview with Sgt. Marianne Bond, Daye admitted to punching Lavern Reed, a female, in the face four or five times, although he says that that attack occurred 20-25 years ago. The State and media have also suppressed the fact that Daye was an alcoholic, who Mangum estimated drank a case of beer each weekday, and a gallon of whiskey on weekends. His capacity for prodigious ethanol consumption was evidenced by his apparent alert level of consciousness while he had a blood alcohol level at the time of the incident of 296 mg/dL – a level that would put the average non-alcoholic adult male in a stupor.

That Daye was an enraged and out-of-control aggressor in the domestic violence incident is evidenced by the following: (1) he physically punched Mangum about the face and head with swelling to the left lower lip and left side of her face evident; (2) he physically attacked her by gouging at her face with his fingernails – depicted on police forensic photographs; (3) he pulled out her hair – clumps noted near the bathroom door and in the master bedroom; and (4) he busted down the locked bathroom door, knocking the frame from the jamb, in order to get at a terrified Mangum who was seeking refuge from him.

Ms. Mangum states that Daye had his hands on her throat strangling her when she grabbed a nearby steak knife (which Daye had brought in from the kitchen), and stabbed him once. However, neither Officer Bond nor any other officer or investigator got this history because they never asked her. No one interviewed Mangum because she was arrested first, based solely on Daye’s questionable account of an armed robbery scenario in which she stole money and stabbed him… an account that was echoed by his nephew Carlos Wilson, who did not witness the incident. According to Bond’s own report, when she first visited Mangum in custody, she asked the defendant if she wanted to give a statement, to which Mangum replied, “Yes.” Sgt. Bond then informed Mangum that she was under arrest and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, and the officer then read Mangum her Miranda Rights informing her that anything she said can and would be used against her in a court of law. After informing her of her rights, Bond asked Mangum if she “wanted to answer some questions,” to which Mangum responded in the negative, and the alleged interview was concluded with the officer leaving.

At no time since that April 3, 2011 morning after the incident, has anyone on the prosecutor side attempted to obtain Mangum’s statement about transpired in the wee predawn hours earlier. Durham Prosecutors Kelly Gauger and Charlene Coggins-Franks have been content to go along with the version given by the late Reginald Daye and his nephew Carlos Wilson… which apparently goes as follows:

• After coming home from a birthday party early that Sunday morning, Daye, who was heavily intoxicated, got into an argument with Mangum over money? The amount never indicated by prosecutors.

• Daye can’t remember whether or not he may have punched Crystal, however he states that she punched him in the face with her fists several times. (Crystal denies punching Daye in the face but states that when he grabbed her by her legs to pull her off the bed, she flailed her legs and may have kicked him in the face.)

• Daye told her to leave, then admits to later telling her she wasn’t going anywhere… then telling her again to leave?

• According to Daye, Mangum sometime thereafter locked herself in the bathroom to make a call to a male to give her a ride, at which time he busted down the door.

• After breaking down the door, Daye grabs her by the hair in order to escort her out of the apartment… and accidentally pulls out a couple of globs of hair.

• Crystal then goes into the kitchen, grabs a steak knife, at which time he tries to get out of her way, and then, without provocation, she stabs him in the back.

The above account is one that not even the police or prosecutors believe because Mangum was not charged with larceny of property at that time and it was not pursued. There is ample evidence, even in the police account of brutality and violence on behalf of Daye, not to mention his intoxicated state and his uncontrolled rage which led to his busting the door frame from the door jamb.

Prosecutors were even aware of a prior incident of domestic violence that occurred approximately nine days prior to the self-defense stabbing when Daye assaulted Mangum so severely that she called a friend, Larry O’Briant, to give her a ride to a medical clinic. Mr. O’Briant even gave a voluntary statement to the police about this incident that occurred on Thursday, March 24, 2011. However, prosecutors did not even have curiosity enough to even look into this incident… as it did not factor into their accusing Mangum as being the assailant in the April 3, 2011 conflict. Neither prosecutors nor Mangum’s defense attorneys, all aware of the fight that preceded the stabbing by just over a week, asked Mangum about it or had her sign a release to obtain clinic records of her visit. All because they do not want Crystal Mangum to be portrayed as what she was… a victim of domestic violence.

Using a criminally fraudulent April 14, 2011 Autopsy Examination Report by North Carolina Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Clay Nichols, Durham prosecutors have been trying to put Crystal Mangum, a two time victim of domestic violence and an alleged victim of sexual abuse, in prison for the rest of her life without the possibility of parole as payback for her role in the Duke Lacrosse case. This goal they have tried to achieve with the cooperation of the mainstream media, and by having politicians (McKissick, Michaux, Hall, Price and others) and civil rights groups (NAACP, ACLU, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence) look the other way.

Only the Committee on Justice for Mike Nifong has stood up to this conspiratorial injustice against Mangum, and because of its efforts, the State is no longer seeking a life sentence for her, but instead is now attempting to force Mangum to accept a plea deal in order to protect the medical examiner, Duke University Hospital for its culpability in Daye’s death, and to protect the City of Durham from liability for its malicious prosecution of Mangum. The Committee is fighting this, as well.

The State and the mainstream media, local and national, can talk tough against domestic violence, but when it comes to proof being in the pudding, it is definitely sending the wrong message by its vindictive and horrendous treatment of Crystal Mangum… a true victim of domestic violence who is, in addition, a victim of the State and the media. 
LINK:  http://www.justice4nifong.com/legal/cgm/direc/direc01.htm