A judge in Jefferson Parish has resentenced Danette Colbert, 49, to life in prison plus 75 years under Louisiana's habitual offender law for her role in the death of a Kansas City reporter. The resentencing took place on Wednesday in the 24th judicial district court, where Judge Nancy Miller determined that Colbert qualifies as at least a fourth felony offender.
Reporter's death during Super Bowl week
Adan Manzano, 27, a journalist for the Spanish-language outlet Telemundo Kansas City, was found dead in his hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana, days before the Super Bowl. He had traveled to the New Orleans area to cover the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jefferson Parish coroner's office ruled his death as positional asphyxiation, with an autopsy revealing Xanax and alcohol in his system.
Prosecutors said Manzano was a victim of a years-long operation in which Colbert, accomplice Rickey White, and co-defendant Christian Anderson targeted tourists in the French Quarter. The group allegedly lured victims with promises of sex before drugging and robbing them. The criminal enterprise reportedly dates back to 2012.
Prior convictions and sentencing
In September, Colbert was initially sentenced to 60 years in prison—50 years for racketeering and a consecutive 10 years for negligent homicide in Manzano's death. During the resentencing, prosecutors cited six prior felony cases to enhance her sentence, including 2024 convictions for computer fraud and illegal money transfers, which had already resulted in a 25-year sentence as a habitual offender. Her record also includes convictions for fraud, stolen property, burglary, theft, battery, and witness intimidation from 2013 to 2019.
Fingerprint analysis by the Jefferson Parish sheriff's office confirmed Colbert's identity in all six cases, though prosecutors only needed to establish three prior convictions. Assistant district attorney Jenny Voss told Judge Miller that "sufficient evidence has been presented" to show Colbert was the person convicted in the previous cases.
Colbert's life sentence will be served consecutively to her 50-year racketeering sentence and a 25-year sentence for unrelated crimes in New Orleans, according to the Jefferson Parish district attorney's office.
