Updated
Updated · WDSU New Orleans · Sep 18
Jury Convicts 2 in Reporter Death Case, Finds Colbert Guilty of Negligent Homicide
Updated
Updated · WDSU New Orleans · Sep 18

Jury Convicts 2 in Reporter Death Case, Finds Colbert Guilty of Negligent Homicide

3 articles · Updated · WDSU New Orleans · Sep 18

Summary

  • A Louisiana jury found Danette Colbert and Rickey White guilty of racketeering, and separately convicted Colbert of negligent homicide in the 2025 death of 27-year-old Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano.
  • Prosecutors said the pair drugged and robbed multiple men over several years and argued Colbert’s actions led to Manzano’s death, pointing to Xanax, his debit card and a hotel-room key found at her home.
  • White was acquitted of manslaughter after the defense argued the two were petty thieves rather than a racketeering enterprise and raised doubts about what substances Manzano may have taken before his death.
  • The verdict followed a trial with 13 witnesses and testimony from Christian Anderson, who pleaded guilty to access device fraud and simple robbery in exchange for cooperating and received a 6-year sentence.

Insights

Why was one defendant cleared of manslaughter while the other was convicted of homicide in the chilling 2025 knockout drug death of a journalist?
A reporter was drugged and killed during the 2025 Super Bowl, but how did this deadly robbery ring operate undetected for years?
With a prior victim robbed of $130,000, why did it take a reporter's tragic death to finally expose this New Orleans crime syndicate?