Danette Colbert, whom police call a ‘career criminal’ and is accused of stealing from TV reporter Adan Manzano while he was in New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl, now faces second-degree murder charges in his death, authorities said Tuesday.
Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said during a press conference that 48-year-old Colbert was booked on those charges and that an accomplice was also arrested in connection with the case.
Conley said Rickey White, who has no fixed address, was arrested at a La Quinta Inn in Hollywood, Florida, March 14 by U.S. Marshals and the Hollywood Police Department and is currently in the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale, waiting extradition to Louisiana. White is charged with simple robbery, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud, and computer fraud.
Colbert also faces the same charges, has open charges in two other Louisiana parishes, and remains jailed at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
Conley said correspondence between Colbert and White suggested the two were working ‘hand in hand in concert.’
A coroner also said Manzano, a Telemundo reporter who was based in Kansas City, died from the combined toxic effects of Xanax and alcohol intoxication, along with positional asphyxia, and the manner of death is undetermined.
Jefferson Parish coroner Gerald Cvitanovich said Manzano was found face down on a pillow and that his blood alcohol level was .232, almost three times the legal amount in the state of Louisiana.
‘We don’t want Ms. Colbert to see the light of day again,’ Conley said, adding that different agencies are currently in the process of revoking any probation Colbert has obtained. ‘I committed to leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice for Adan Manzano’s family and friends.’
During Colbert’s bond hearing on Feb. 25, a detective testified that Manzano had Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, in his system, according to a preliminary toxicology report. Manzano did not have a prescription for the drug, which was also found at Colbert’s home during a search.
Investigation timeline
Last month, police arrested Colbert after she was seen on video at the Kenner Comfort Suites hotel with Manzano at around 5 a.m. the day of his death on Feb. 5 and was seen leaving the room alone later in the morning.
During the investigation, Manzano’s cellphone and credit card were found during a search of Colbert’s residence in Slidell, and the credit card was used fraudulently at several New Orleans area stores. Colbert also faces a state felony charge of possession of a stolen firearm that was also found during that search, but authorities have said they didn’t think it relates to Manzano’s case.
Colbert was arrested twice in 2022 in Las Vegas on charges of grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in a felony crime, court records show. Men had alleged that Colbert drugged them in their Las Vegas Strip hotel rooms and stole from them. One victim said that $50,000 in cash, $11,000 in poker chips, a phone, a designer bag and a Rolex watch were taken from him.
Both cases were dismissed after the victims declined to testify against Colbert.
New Orleans police said they were familiar with Colbert as she has an extensive record for fraud and robbery schemes, having been arrested at least four times in the past decade for crimes such as bank fraud, second-degree battery and theft.
She received a five-year suspended sentence and five years of probation in 2019 after pleading guilty to access to device fraud, after a man said he lost a credit card during his time at a Bourbon Street strip club.