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According to testimony given by a police detective in court this week, Adan Manzano, the 27-year-old reporter who was found dead while attending the Super Bowl in New Orleans, had a sedative drug in his system at the time of his death. A preliminary toxicology report found the antidepressant alprazolam, better known as Xanax, in Manzano’s system. He did not have a prescription for the drug.
Detective Jeffrey Fitzmorris of the Kenner Police Department in Louisiana testified in Jefferson Parish court this week that in addition to the toxicology report finding Xanax in Manzano’s system, the drug was also found at the home of a woman, Danette Colbert.
She is currently in custody for allegedly using Adan Manzano’s credit card at several stores in the New Orleans area following his death. Colbert claimed that the credit card must have “accidentally dropped in her car, and she accidentally used it instead of her own card.” She also had a phone belonging to Manzano in her possession at the time of her arrest.
Colbert, 48, was ordered held without bail following a preliminary hearing Tuesday after Jefferson Parish Criminal Magistrate David Wolff called her a flight risk. “I find that she is a danger to society. Apparently, random victims that come across her wind up being victims of crime,” he said. Kenner Police Department Deputy Chief Mark McCormick said Colbert may face upgraded charges once toxicology tests are finalized.
Colbert’s attorney Stavros Panagoulopoulos said his client welcomes further investigation, “We’re looking forward to our day in court to present all the evidence as necessary. Assumptions and guesses are not enough to maintain criminal prosecution and we look forward to providing further information as this case moves forward.”
Two weeks ago, the Kenner Police Department released a video that shows Colbert with sports reporter Adan Manzano at his hotel in the hours before his death. Video also shows Colbert drinking with Adan Manzano on Bourbon Street in New Orleans before she drove him back to his hotel.
Danette Colbert has a history of being arrested and convicted on charges of targeting tourists, drugging them, then stealing their property and using their credit cards. One former victim, David Butler, blamed the court system for allowing her to continue to commit crimes with little to no punishment following the death of Adan Manzano.
“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 told NBC News.
Colbert has a previous conviction in Jefferson and Orleans Parish in Louisiana for targeting tourists, using their credit cards and possessing stolen goods. She was also arrested and pleaded guilty in May 2015 to two counts of theft after she was accused of stealing a Rolex watch, cash and credit cards from a man she met on Bourbon Street. She also pleaded guilty to access device fraud in December 2019. And in 2022, she was charged in Nevada with grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in the commission of a felony.
According to NOLA.com, State Police investigators and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office are also investigating Danette Colbert’s possible involvement in the death of a Maryland man under similar circumstances who was visiting New Orleans in December.