Two Convicted in the Death of Telemundo Reporter Adan Manzano, Who Was in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX

A Louisiana jury has convicted two people in the death of Adan Manzano, the Telemundo Kansas City reporter who was found dead in a Kenner hotel room while in the New Orleans area to cover Super Bowl LIX.

After about five hours of deliberation on Thursday, Sept. 17, the Jefferson Parish jury found Danette Colbert guilty of racketeering and negligent homicide. Rickey White was found guilty of racketeering and not guilty of manslaughter. Racketeering carries up to 50 years in prison in Louisiana, and negligent homicide carries up to 10. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 28.

A third defendant, Christian Anderson, testified against Colbert and White. He pleaded guilty to simple robbery and access device fraud and was sentenced to six years in prison, according to the Associated Press.

Manzano, 27, was a reporter and anchor for Telemundo Kansas City. He was found dead on Feb. 5, 2025, in a hotel room in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans, days before Super Bowl LIX. An autopsy found he died lying face down on a pillow, unable to breathe after taking a combination of alcohol and the depressant Xanax, according to the AP.

Prosecutors described a years-long criminal enterprise run by Colbert and White that targeted victims in the French Quarter, drugged them and stole from them, including by draining bank accounts with stolen cards and phones, according to the AP. Jenny Voss, an assistant district attorney in Jefferson Parish, told jurors that the two “weren’t just pals, they were partners,” Fox 8 reported.

Evidence at trial included surveillance video and years of text messages between Colbert and White, according to Fox 8. ABC News reported that other victims also testified.

Colbert’s attorney, Stavros Panagoulopoulos, said he was disappointed in the racketeering conviction and called the negligent homicide finding “a small legal victory,” Fox 8 reported. He said he plans to appeal. ABC News reported that Colbert’s defense described the outcome as a “compromise verdict.”