A Louisiana jury convicted a tourist-targeting duo of racketeering and found the woman guilty of negligent homicide in a reporter’s death, underscoring how street crime can turn deadly for visitors.
Story Highlights
- Jury convicted Danette Colbert of negligent homicide in Adan Manzano’s death
- Colbert and Rickey White were both convicted of racketeering tied to targeting tourists
- Medical testimony described alcohol, generic Xanax, and positional asphyxia in the death
- Defense says they will appeal and called the verdict a “compromise”
Jury Delivers Split Homicide Result, Unified Racketeering Verdict
Jefferson Parish jurors found Danette Colbert guilty of negligent homicide in the death of sports reporter Adan Manzano and convicted both Colbert and Rickey White of racketeering, a charge tied to a scheme that targeted visitors near New Orleans during Super Bowl week. Prosecutors said the pair ran a criminal enterprise that preyed on vulnerable tourists. The jury acquitted White of manslaughter and did not convict Colbert of the higher homicide count, settling instead on negligent homicide based on the proof presented.
The district attorney’s office described the case as part of a broader pattern: criminals sizing up visitors, using drugs, and stealing what they could before vanishing into the night. That framing matched evidence at trial, which included digital messages about “knockout drugs” and what was taken from victims, according to local reporting of courtroom testimony. Jurors weighed these messages and the movement of the suspects around hotels as they decided who did what, and what could be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
Evidence: Digital Messages, Hotel Timeline, and Medical Findings
Prosecution witnesses walked jurors through cellphone extractions and texts between Colbert and White that discussed targeting victims and using drugs to disable them, according to news accounts of the testimony. Separate reporting placed Colbert as the last person seen leaving Manzano’s hotel room before he was found dead, which helped the state draw a line between the pair’s scheme and this death during Super Bowl week. That timeline and those messages supported the racketeering counts and the jury’s lesser homicide finding.
A pathologist testified that Manzano had a high blood alcohol level with generic Xanax in his system, and died from positional asphyxia, where body position limits breathing. That medical picture explained why the jury might have chosen negligent homicide. The combination of alcohol, a sedative, and a dangerous position can be lethal even without a clear single blow or obvious trauma. The medical examiner’s complexity does not erase legal guilt, but it shapes which homicide theory a jury can support with confidence.
Defense Pushback and What the Verdict Really Says
Colbert’s attorney said he will appeal and called the negligent-homicide decision a “compromise verdict,” arguing that jurors split the difference between acquittal and a higher conviction. Defense arguments also claimed prosecutors had not proved that Colbert gave Manzano Xanax, or that White was part of anything more than petty theft, pushing back on the enterprise theory. The jury’s actual rulings speak louder: they saw a pattern of targeting and convicted both on racketeering, while fixing Colbert’s role to negligent homicide based on the evidence.
This mix is not rare in complex trials. Juries often separate the “scheme” question from the “cause of death” question. Here, the digital trail and conduct supported racketeering for both defendants, while the medical record and timeline supported negligent homicide for Colbert only. That outcome holds criminals to account for organized targeting of tourists, while staying within the limits of the medical and timeline proof available in this case.
Public Safety Stakes for Tourists and Cities That Depend on Them
Big events bring crowds and cash. They also attract criminals who hunt for easy pickings. Prosecutors said this case fit that pattern, and the verdict backs that up. Visitors deserve safe streets, honest policing, and firm consequences for people who drug and rob them. The law demands proof, and this jury delivered a careful result that punishes the enterprise and assigns homicide liability where the evidence reached that standard.
A woman was found guilty of negligent homicide in connection with the death of Adan Manzano, a sports reporter killed while covering Super Bowl LIX in 2025.
READ MORE >>> https://t.co/gOkZYBG0Mh pic.twitter.com/mBd4RWKRAL
— WTVY News 4 (@WTVYNews4) September 18, 2026
Leaders should learn from this. Cities that host major games and conventions must back strong patrols, cameras, hotel cooperation, and quick digital forensics. Honest businesses thrive when streets are safe. Families travel when they trust the system. This case shows that targeted crime has real victims, and that justice can still draw a hard line without overreaching. The message is simple: if you run a scheme to drug and rob tourists, you will face prison, and if someone dies, you will face even more.
Sources:
wwltv.com, yahoo.com, newsminimalist.com, dailymail.com, people.com
