Kenner Police Department
Danette Colbert has officially been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Adan Manzano, the 27-year-old reporter who was found dead while attending the Super Bowl in New Orleans. She has been held in custody since she was arrested on Feb. 7 by the Kenner Police Department on theft-related crimes related to the case.
Colbert, 48, was charged with the murder Tuesday morning in the Jefferson Parish jail, according to Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley. Adan Manzano had been in New Orleans, working the Super Bowl for KGKC Telemundo Kansas City, when he mysteriously passed away in a hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana.
“Following the arrest of Danette Colbert from Slidell on February 6, 2025, investigators uncovered critical evidence linking her to the crime,” the Kenner Police Department wrote in a press release. “Evidence located suggests Colbert and her associate commonly use substances to drug their victims. Forensic evidence has also connected Alprazolam (Xanax) to Colbert and previous victims. A search of Colbert’s residence, conducted just one day after Manzano’s death, resulted in the discovery of Alprazolam (Xanax).
“New evidence has since emerged, revealing that Colbert did not act alone. Investigators have identified an accomplice, Rickey White, who collaborated with Colbert in this scheme. As a result, an arrest warrant was obtained by the Kenner Police Department for White on multiple charges under Louisiana law, including Simple Robbery, Access Device Fraud, Illegal Transmission of Monetary Funds, Bank Fraud, and Computer Fraud. White was apprehended at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Hollywood, Florida by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Hollywood Police Department with the assistance of the U.S. Secret Service Task Force and detectives from the Kenner Police Department. White is being held at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Jail, Fort Lauderdale, FL, awaiting extradition.
“The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office’s preliminary findings indicate that Manzano’s death was caused by the combined toxic effects of Alprazolam and alcohol with positional asphyxia. The Coroner’s Office has classified the manner of death as ‘Undetermined’. Kenner Police Department detectives believe Colbert intentionally drugged Manzano to render him unconscious before robbing him, following a pattern seen in her prior offenses.”
The Kenner Police Department previously released video (pictured above) that shows Danette Colbert with sports reporter Adan Manzano in the hours before his death. In the video, Colbert is seen walking with Manzano into the hotel room where he was found dead hours later.
Kenner Police also previously confirmed reports that Colbert has a history of drugging men and stealing from them. She was previously convicted in Jefferson and Orleans Parish for targeting tourists, using their credit cards and possessing stolen goods. She has also pleaded guilty to two counts of theft after she was accused of stealing a Rolex watch, cash and credit cards from another man she met on Bourbon Street. Colbert pleaded guilty in another case to access device fraud. Court records in Nevada also list two cases in which Danette Colbert was charged with grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in the commission of a felony.
One of Colbert’s alleged previous victims, David Butler, said after the Super Bowl reporter’s death, “Had the court acted decisively by incarcerating Ms. Colbert or enforcing stricter conditions for her release, it is possible Mr. Manzano would still be alive today.”
Butler also wrote in a message about Colbert that he gave to Orleans Criminal District Judge Nandi Campbell prior to Adan Manzano’s death, “The minimal fines and lack of meaningful incarceration for crimes that could have led to serious injury or loss of life are, quite frankly, an insult to public safety and the justice system. If someone dies due to her actions in the future, their blood will undeniably be on the hands of those who allowed her to escape real accountability today.”