BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida connection has emerged in the murder case of KC Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano, who was found dead in New Orleans while covering the Super Bowl.
Danette Colbert, 48, has been charged in connection with the 27-year-old reporter’s death, Chief Keith Conley of the Kenner Police Department confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday.
U.S. Marshals also took Rickey White, 34, who was described as a “transient,” in Hollywood in connection with the case on Friday.
Conley said investigators believe Colbert and White “were working hand in hand in concert.”
Manzano, who had a blood alcohol level of .232 — three times the legal limit — died from a combination of alcohol, Xanax, and positional asphyxia, meaning he was found face down in a pillow in his hotel room, according to Jefferson Parish Coroner Jerry Santanovich.
Investigators believe he was drugged so Colbert could rob him.
Police have also said Manzano’s medical records showed no prescriptions for Xanax or other depressants and that they recovered the drug from Colbert’s home.
Manzano was in New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl when he died on Feb. 5.
Soon after his death, investigators said Colbert was accused of making multiple purchases while using Manzano’s credit card.
Detectives said Colbert, who was the last person to see Manzano alive after she was seen leaving his hotel room on Feb. 5, is facing a second-degree murder charge.
Jail records show she and White are also facing charges of simple robbery, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud and computer fraud.
“Look, there’s a lot of pieces in this puzzle,” Conley said. “We recognize it’s going to be a circumstantial case.”
Last year, a Louisiana jury found Colbert guilty of theft and fraud charges in an unrelated case.
In 2022, Colbert was twice arrested in Las Vegas on felony charges of grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in a felony crime, court records show. In both cases, she was accused of drugging men in their hotel rooms and stealing from them. The charges were dismissed because the victims did not want to testify in court, Colbert’s attorney for those cases, Daniel Lippmann, told The Associated Press.
Authorities have not provided details on White’s movements following the robbery or why he was in South Florida.
He remains behind bars at the Broward Main Jail as of Wednesday while he awaits extradition to Louisiana.
