Two sentenced to 60 and 45 years for Telemundo reporter's death in New Orleans

A Louisiana state court judge, Nancy Miller, on Monday sentenced two people convicted in connection with a criminal enterprise that resulted in the February 2025 death of Telemundo Kansas City journalist Adan Manzano.

Danette Colbert, 49, received a combined 60-year sentence — 50 years for racketeering and a consecutive 10 years for negligent homicide. Her accomplice, Rickey White, 35, was sentenced to 45 years for racketeering. Both were convicted by a jury in Jefferson Parish, near New Orleans.

The reporter's death

Manzano, 27, had traveled to the New Orleans area to cover the Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. He was found dead in a hotel room in Kenner, home to New Orleans' international airport, days before the game.

The coroner's office determined his death was caused by positional asphyxiation, and an autopsy found Xanax and alcohol in his system.

Prosecutors said Manzano was one of the victims of a yearslong scheme in which Colbert, White, and co-defendant Christian Anderson — who testified against them — targeted unsuspecting tourists in the French Quarter, luring them with promises of sex before drugging and robbing them. The operation reportedly dated back to 2012.

Family statements

Manzano's father, addressing the court via videoconference, called the sentencing a day of vindication for his family and asked that the defendants receive the punishment they deserved. Manzano's mother described the defendants as lacking any moral conscience, saying she hoped they would no longer be able to harm others. A cousin also addressed the defendants directly during sentencing.

Manzano's wife, Ashleigh Boyd, died in a car crash in Topeka, Kansas, in April 2024; the driver responsible was found guilty just days before the Louisiana sentencing. The couple's three-year-old daughter, Eleanor, is now being raised by her maternal grandparents.

Judge Miller told Colbert that her indifference to her victims' suffering, evident from her long criminal history, had ultimately led to a victim's death.