It got the case Thursday afternoon after listening to closing arguments. Defense attorney Daniel Meier told the jury there was no premeditation, deliberation, or malice on Mangum's part when she stabbed boyfriend Reginald Daye with a kitchen knife during an argument in April 2011. Daye died 10 days later.
Meier told jurors it's a clear case of self-defense as Daye had her on the floor choking her.
"He was bigger than her. He was on top of her. He was choking her. [She gave him a] single stab wound to the flank," said Meier.
But in her closing argument, Assistant District Attorney Charlene Franks characterized Mangum as a serial abuser with a history of physical violence towards boyfriends.
"The defendant was the abuser, the defendant is guilty of first-degree murder," said Franks.
Mangum testified in her own defense Wednesday. She told jurors Daye was angry with her because she had "disrespected" him by talking with another man.
» Click here to watch Mangum's full testimony «
She said Daye hit her and knocked her to the floor. She said he told her he was going to make it so other men wouldn't want her by threatening to put hot water on her face. She said he went to the kitchen and returned with a knife that he threw at her.
Mangum said she locked herself in the bathroom, but Daye kicked down the door and grabbed her by the hair, before pulling her into the bedroom.
"He straddled me, hit me, and then he started choking me," she said. "I couldn't breathe. My head hurt real bad."
Mangum said she was afraid.
"I was just trying to survive and I felt like Reginald was trying to kill me," said Mangum.
She testified that she didn't intend to kill him and she misses him.
"He was a good person," she testified.
On cross examination, Franks challenged Mangum's credibility. She pointed out disparities between Mangum's account and other witnesses.
Mangum said Daye was drinking liquor, but other witnesses have said he only drank beer. Police said no liquor bottles were found in the apartment.
Mangum testified that Daye repeatedly hit her in the face, but photos taken of her later at the police department showed she had a slight injury under her left eye, a swollen lip. Franks asked Mangum why - if she was hit so many times - that there was not more swelling or injury. She said she didn't know.
Franks also pointed out that if Mangum was choked, there was no sign of injury to her neck afterwards.
Franks also took Mangum back to an incident with a previous boyfriend in which police said they witnessed her threaten to stab him. Franks asked if she was a serial abuser and that she was always in control in her relationships with men.
Mangum said she was not.
"If anything, I love men," said Mangum.
When asked if she was flirting and laughing with police officers and EMS workers after the stabbing, Mangum replied "probably."
Mangum is charged with first-degree murder. She previously made national headlines in 2006 when she accused a group of Duke University lacrosse players of sexually assaulting her while she worked as a stripper at a party. The accusations were later found to be false, and Attorney General Roy Cooper dismissed all charges filed against the students.
However, the Duke Lacrosse case never came up in the trial, but Daye's reputation did. The last witness, an ex-girlfriend of 11 years passionately defended Daye calling him generous, but never violent.
"Reggie never hit me, never raised his hand to me. Never," said Mary Outterbridge.
The jury has to choose between first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or not guilty. Mangum could face life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.
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