Woman Found Guilty in Death of Telemundo's Reporter Who was Covering The Super Bowl
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| Adan Manzano, a reporter for Telemundo Kansas City, was found dead on Feb. 5, 2025, in his hotel room.Telemundo Kansas City, via Associated Press. Lost his wife a year ago and had one little girl who now doesnt have any parents. |
New York Times
A jury in Louisiana on Thursday found a woman guilty of negligent homicide but acquitted another man of manslaughter in the killing of a sports anchor and reporter who was covering the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, prosecutors said.
Danette Colbert, 49, and Rickey White, 35, faced charges of manslaughter and racketeering in the death of Adan Manzano, 27, a journalist for KGKC, the Telemundo affiliate in Kansas City. A third man, Christian Anderson, was also charged in the death, but he accepted a plea deal and testified against his co-defendants in the trial.
Mr. Manzano, who lost his wife in a car accident in 2024 and had a young daughter, had been in New Orleans to cover the matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. It was his third consecutive time covering the Super Bowl for his Spanish-language station.
He was found dead, facedown on a pillow, after his co-workers said he didn’t show up for an appointment. Mr. Manzano died from the combined toxic effects of Xanax, a prescription drug, and alcohol, in addition to positional asphyxia, which is when a person’s body is positioned in a way that prevents breathing.
The jurors, who deliberated for more than five hours, found Ms. Colbert and Mr. White guilty of racketeering, according to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office. That charge carries a sentence of up to 50 years in prison, the office said, and negligent homicide carries a 10-year term.
The sentencing is set for Sept. 28, according to the office.
Ms. Colbert was the last person seen with Mr. Manzano in his hotel in the New Orleans area. She also stole his credit card and phone, according to the authorities, who added that investigators had found Xanax in her home in Slidell, La.
The three defendants were accused of working together to dupe victims and steal their money. Mr. White acted as Ms. Colbert’s pimp, finding victims for her, the authorities said.
Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Colbert worked as a prostitute in the French Quarter, where she found victims and encouraged them to visit an A.T.M., according to prosecutors. She would observe as the person entered their information.
Ms. Colbert would then lure victims back to a hotel room or another “private place” and wait until the person was unconscious after consuming alcohol or drugs or having sex, prosecutors said. She was also charged in similar scams in Las Vegas, but those cases were dismissed.
Ms. Colbert would photograph her victims’ identification information and steal their cash, credit cards, phones, jewelry and other valuables, prosecutors said.
Mr. Anderson, 35, was accused of also acting as a prostitute or aiding Ms. Colbert by providing “technical support” and distributing drugs, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to simple robbery and intent to defraud on Thursday, according to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Mr. Anderson wrote a letter to the judge, in which he took responsibility for his actions, apologized and asked for mercy.
“In my past, I have surrounded myself with people who were no good for me and let actions, addictions and behaviors influence me in negative ways,” he wrote.
Ms. Colbert was sentenced in May 2025 to 25 years in prison for drugging and robbing another man in 2021.
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