Mangum was facing an attempted murder charge after police in February arrested her at a residence on Lincoln Street, near N.C. Central University. Mangum filled a bathtub with clothes and set them on fire after a fight with her boyfriend, police said. There were three children in the residence, and one of them called 911, according to investigators.
She claimed to be the victim in that incident as well. After the judge reduced her bond to $100,000, a bail bonds company, acting pro bono, posted the bail for her and she was released on home detention. She violated the terms of the bond and was re-arrested. Then the judge reinstated her bond.
A jury convicted her of five misdemeanors but hung on the felony arson count. The judge sentenced her to time served and restored her custody rights.
Judge Abe Jones sentenced Mangum to time served and ordered that she be freed and allowed to regain custody of her children while the district attorney's office ponders action on the remaining count.
Most panelists concluded that by setting her boyfriend's clothing on fire in a bathtub after a fight, Mangum never intended to cause destruction or significant damage to the home where she and her three children lived. Nor did they feel that her doing so was in "wanton or willful disregard of the plain and strong likelihood" of major harm to the building.
The DA decided not to retry her on the arson charge. Her supporters have continually claim she's been treated unfairly in the criminal system due to her accusations against the lacrosse players. Last June, in an interview about the arson case, she insisted:
.... her involvement in the Duke lacrosse case had influenced police handling of the case. "I do feel that I am being unjustly treated because of preconceived notions about my character in the media," Mangum said then.
I don't doubt she's mentally ill and could benefit from treatment. But she's also a menace to others, and her supporters' continued attempts to portray her as a victim of the lacrosse case is absurd.
