Death of Super Bowl reporter in New Orleans was part of yearslong drug-and-rob plot, police say

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Apr 2, 2025

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The killing of a Kansas City, Missouri, reporter covering the Super Bowl in New Orleans was part of a running plot to drug and rob people, according to authorities.

Suspects Danette Colbert, 48, and Rickey White, 34, have been charged in the death of Adan Manzano on Feb. 5 in the suburb of Kenner, Louisiana. Manzano, 27, was in town to cover the Super Bowl for Kansas City Telemundo affiliate KGKC.

Investigators believe Manzano was the latest in a series of victims who were drugged and then robbed by Colbert and White, ABC News reported Tuesday.

Colbert and White routinely traded text messages sharing other people’s financial information, and Colbert texted White multiple times about needing pills to knock out targets, law enforcement sources told the Guardian.

Manzano was found dead with Xanax in his system, and cops said they found Xanax at Colbert’s apartment. The anxiety medication can be deadly if mixed with alcohol, and obtaining it legally requires a prescription.

Additionally, cops found Colbert carrying Manzano’s cellphone and credit card. In a search of her home, they found four additional cellphones.

Colbert and White listed the same home address in the suburb of Slidell, Louisiana, sources told the Guardian. Additionally, Colbert filed a domestic violence complaint against White in 2024.

The duo have only been charged in connection with Manzano’s death, but New Orleans police told ABC News they have identified other victims.

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