Danette Colbert, 49, has been found guilty of negligent homicide in connection with the death of Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano, who was visiting New Orleans to cover Super Bowl LIX in January 2025.
Colbert and Rickey White, 35, were also both convicted of racketeering, a crime that carries a potential jail term of 50 years. Both had been charged with manslaughter, but only Colbert was found guilty by the jury of negligent homicide, which carries a maximum 10-year jail sentence, according to prosecutors. White was acquitted of manslaughter.
In March of 2025, Colbert was officially charged with second-degree murder in the death of the 27-year-old Manzano. In May, White, who had originally been arrested for fraud and burglary, was also charged with second-degree murder.
The district attorney’s office reported that Christian Anderson, a third defendant indicted in connection with the conspiracy, entered into a plea agreement and testified against Colbert and White. Anderson entered a guilty plea to both access device fraud and simple robbery and received a six-year prison sentence.
Colbert and White had been targeting victims for years
Following their arrests, police stated that Rickey White and Danette Colbert “often employ chemicals to drug their victims” and have been targeting victims in various locations for a number of years. The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office stated that positional asphyxia and the combined toxic effects of alcohol and Alprazolam (Xanax) were the causes of Adan Manzano’s death.
“They and others were engaged in a years-long scheme in which Colbert and other prostitutes lurked in New Orleans’ tourist areas in search of men whom they could lure to their rooms,” the district attorney’s office said in a press release following the verdicts. “Along the way, they secretly provided their unwitting victims with sedatives that would cause them to fall asleep. They then would steal their cell phones, credit cards and other items of value, including pricey watches.”
Danette Colbert was caught thanks to video that showed her with Adan Manzano in the hours before his death and after allegedly using Manzano’s credit card at several stores in the New Orleans area.
Colbert and White’s sentencing is set for September 28, according to Fox 8 News.
Danette Colbert had a history of drugging victims
Following her arrest, police also confirmed reports that Colbert had a history of drugging men and stealing from them. Courts previously found her guilty of targeting tourists, using their credit cards, and possessing stolen goods in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes.
In addition, she entered a guilty plea to two charges of theft after she admitted that she had stolen credit cards, cash, and a Rolex watch from a man she met on Bourbon Street.
In a different case, Colbert entered a guilty plea to access device fraud. Prosecutors accused Colbert of grand theft and of giving a narcotic to aid in the commission of a felony in two Nevada court cases.
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.”