By Frankie Sanchez
Staff Writer
Danette Colbert, a Louisiana woman suspected of murdering 27-year-old KGKC Telemundo Kansas City and Tico Sport reporter Adan Manzano, was convicted by a Jefferson Parish jury of second degree murder and racketeering on Sept. 18, according to ABC News.
Police also arrested an additional two accomplices to Colbert, according to ABC News. One man, Rickey White was not convicted of negligent homicide but was convicted of racketeering. The second, a man named Christian Dean Anderson testified against the other two in a plea deal with the prosecution.
On Feb. 5, 2025, Manzano was found face down in his hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. Police checked on Manzano after colleagues requested a wellness check. Manzano was in Louisiana to cover Super Bowl LIX.
Manzano's passing came a year after his wife’s. The pair left behind a young daughter.
Before he was found in his hotel room, Manzano was last seen with a woman. ABC News said that video evidence showed Colbert with Manzano in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Evidence further showed Colbert attempting to access Manzano's phone as he was already incapacitated or dead.
During the trial, prosecutors explained how Danette Colbert “posed as a prostitute and plied her marks with alcohol or drugs to render them unconscious and then stole their phones, credit cards, cash, jewelry and other valuables. White served as her pimp, providing “instruction” and helping them access and distribute the stolen property, prosecutors said.”
Manzano was likely the pair's last victim. The Jefferson Parish coroner announced that Manzano died from the combined effects of Xanax and Alcohol. The two drugs also kept Manzano unconscious and unable to move before his death.
ABC reported the Jefferson Parish jury deliberated for five hours before giving their verdict on Sept. 17.
Colbert was convicted of negligent homicide which, according to the Associated Press, has a maximum sentence of 10 years in Louisiana. Both Colbert and White were convicted of racketeering, which carries a 50 year max sentence in Louisiana. The third accomplice, Christian Dean Anderson received a reduced charge of simple robbery and access device fraud, both of which he pleaded guilty to.
Other victims of the trio testified against them. ABC reported one man who testified that Colbert stole over $100,000 from him.
Anderson had been cooperating with police since being arrested and according to his attorney Bradley Philips, Anderson is “relieved to be able to put this behind him.”
Both Colbert and White were sentenced by a Louisiana State Court Judge Nancy Miller on Sept. 28, according to The Guardian. Danette Colbert received 60 years in prison, 50 for racketeering and 10 for negligent homicide. Robert White received 45 years in prison for racketeering.
Manzano’s father spoke at the sentencing, “May the laws of this country lock up the people that destroyed my life,” adding, “They snatched his dreams, life and family as we were seeing him happy and successful.”
