New details have emerged in the case of Adan Manzano, the 27-year-old reporter who died in his hotel room while he was in New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl. New Orleans police said they arrested 48-year-old Danette Colbert on Thursday in connection with Manzano’s death.
According to police, Colbert faces bank and computer fraud charges, as well as illegal transmission of monetary funds, access device fraud and purse snatching. Other charges could be added after the coroner’s office concludes its report.
On the morning of Manzano’s death, Colbert, who is allegedly known for drugging men, was seen entering and leaving Manzano’s hotel room in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, police said. The suspect allegedly used Manzano’s credit card at “several” places following his death, The Daily Mail reported.
“She plays a confidence game,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said, per The Daily Beast. “She’s definitely a career criminal. All her crimes are… access to vice, frauds, simple robberies, thefts, things of that nature.”
Colbert allegedly carried an illegal firearm and drugs when she was arrested. However, Conley said the weapon doesn’t have any connection to Manzano’s death. Police haven’t determined if drugs played a factor.
Colbert and Manzano were captured on security footage as they entered a Comfort Suites hotel room together at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Colbert left the room for a short time, then returned a second time, left again around 6 a.m. and never came back, Conley said. Manzano never left the room after the pair entered together.
Manzano, a Telemundo reporter from Kansas City, was covering his third Super Bowl. The young journalist lost his wife a year ago when she died in a car crash. The pair had one child together. She was also seriously injured in the fatal car accident.
“Adan was an exceptional professional and a rising star whose dedication and talent reflected excellence in his work,” Manzano’s colleagues wrote, per The Daily Beast. “We will deeply miss Adan, his passion for sports and the contributions he made to the local community.”
Colbert, who is a Louisiana resident, was arrested in 2022 for allegedly drugging a man on the Las Vegas Strip and stealing $50,000 from him. Although Colbert denied the allegations, she later faced similar charges again in Nevada.
Colbert was also charged for allegedly driving 100 mph in a school area in Las Vegas in 2022. A a 2014 report from NoLa.com adds that Colbert was arrested for second-degree battery and witness intimidation. Police said Colbert has faced additional charges in the past for targeting tourists and using their credit cards.
Regarding the possibility of foul play, McCormick said, “Obviously, there are allegations in [Colbert’s] past criminal history that make us consider that. But we don’t have anything at this point.”
