Jury Finds Woman Guilty in Telemundo Reporter’s Death, Ties Racketeering Scheme

A Louisiana jury convicted Danette Colbert of negligent homicide and racketeering in the death of Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano, who was staying in Kenner ahead of the Super Bowl; her accomplice Rickey White was convicted of racketeering but acquitted of manslaughter. Prosecutors described a long-running criminal enterprise in New Orleans’ French Quarter that drugged victims to rob them. Colbert faces up to 10 years for negligent homicide, and both defendants are due to be sentenced in late September; an associate testified in exchange for charges being reduced. Manzano’s death followed an autopsy that found oxygen deprivation after alcohol and Xanax ingestion. The case is separate from the reporter’s work and family awaits further updates on sentencing and impacts.