A Louisiana woman, 48-year-old Danette Colbert, was charged with the murder of 27-year-old Telemundo Anchor and Sports Reporter Adan Manzano on Tuesday. Though Colbert was initially charged with theft and fraud charges, she was later charged with second-degree murder.
Manzano, who traveled from his base in Kansas to cover the Super Bowl, was found dead in his hotel room on Feb. 5 in Kenner, west of New Orleans. The victim was found face down on a pillow while authorities detected foul play.
Later, investigators retrieved video footage that showed Colbert with Manzano hours before his demise in the hotel room. She was arrested the next day in New Orleans with the victim’s phone and credit cards in her possession, according to AP. During the investigation, authorities discovered the defendant had been working hand-in-hand with an accomplice, Ricky White, who was tracked to Hollywood, Florida, and arrested on theft and fraud charges.
An autopsy report showed Manzano had a mixture of alprazolam, a.k.a. Xanax, and alcohol in his system. In addition, the report indicated positional asphyxia was a contributing factor but currently listed the cause of death as undetermined.
Colbert was a known entity to authorities as a career criminal engaged in drugging victims and stealing their properties. The defendant was convicted of theft and fraud for the fifth time in New Orleans last month.
“There’s a lot of pieces to this puzzle, we understand that this is going to be a circumstantial case. I feel very confident in our detectives and the other agencies involved,” said Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, reported The Guardian.
So far, authorities have kept quiet about further details about the case since it’s still an ongoing investigation. Colbert is currently being held without bond at the Jefferson Parish jail.
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