Cops: Lesbian Staged High-Profile Hate Crime

A former University of Nebraska women's basketball star who claimed to be the victim of an anti-gay attack appears to have staged the attack herself out of a desire to spark social change, police say. Charlie Rogers, who told police last month that three men had entered her house, stripped her, and carved anti-gay slurs on her body, has been charged with lying to police, CNN reports. Police say their investigation uncovered numerous inconsistencies in her story, and that physical evidence, including DNA, did not support Rogers' version of events.

An FBI forensic pathologist determined that Rogers' wounds were self-inflicted. Four days before the alleged attack, she made a post on Facebook that investigators believe underscores her motive, AP reports. "I believe way deep inside me that we can make things better for everyone," she wrote. "I will be a catalyst. I will do what it takes. I will. Watch me." Rogers, who ranks second all-time in blocked shots for the Cornhuskers, has pleaded not guilty. Her lawyer says she has been devastated by investigators' decision to focus on her. (More Charlie Rogers stories.)