Woman convicted in homicide of Super Bowl reporter
Danette Colbert (Kenner Police)
A woman was convicted of negligent homicide in the death of a Telemundo television reporter visiting New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl.
Danette Colbert, 49, was also convicted of racketeering, as was her accomplice, 35-year-old Rickey White, The Associated Press reported, citing Paul Purpura, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office. Racketeering carries up to a 50-year prison sentence in Louisiana.
Danette Colbert and Ricky White are shown in this undated booking photo. (Kenner PD)
The AP noted that prosecutors sought to convict both Colbert and White on the charge of manslaughter, which carries up to a 40-year sentence. White was found not guilty.
Colbert’s negligent homicide conviction carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, Jefferson Parish Assistant District Attorney Jenny Voss told reporters.
Colbert and White spent years carrying out a criminal enterprise that lured victims into New Orleans' historic French Quarter with the promise of sex, then used drugs to knock them out and wipe out their bank accounts using stolen cards and phones, prosecutors told the AP.
What occurred in the incident with the reporter covering the Super Bowl?
The backstory:
In 2025, Danette Colbert was the last person seen leaving the room of Adan Manzano, 27, a reporter and anchor for Telemundo based in Kansas City, Missouri, who was found dead in his hotel room Feb. 5, 2025 in New Orleans days before the Super Bowl.
The Associated Press reported that an autopsy revealed that Manzano died lying face down on a pillow, unable to breathe after ingesting a combination of alcohol and Xanax.
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Manzano’s death came a year after his wife died in a car accident. The couple left behind a toddler daughter, the AP reported.
Colbert later used Manzano’s credit card at a New Orleans gas station and other stores in the area.
Court documents obtained by the AP cite prosecutors who described Colbert as acting under the facade of a "prostitute or ‘party girl’" while Rickey White acted as her "pimp," who provided security and helped find and rob unsuspecting victims.
Paul Purpura, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office, told the AP that Christian Anderson, 35, was another who helped Colbert and White with their criminal enterprise.
Anderson testified against Colbert and White in exchange for lowering his charges to simple robbery and access device fraud, Purpura added.
According to the AP, referencing court records, Anderson pleaded guilty to both charges and received a six-year prison sentence.
Colbert and White are scheduled to be sentenced in late September, according to the Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which cites comments from a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office, and court documents tied to the criminal case. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.