Authorities also announced Manzano's cause of death and the arrest of an alleged accomplice of the suspect in Florida.
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Adan Manzano
Adan Manzano.
A Louisiana woman has been charged with murder in the death of Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano.
Danette Colbert was charged with second-degree murder Monday and booked Tuesday morning in connection with Manzano's Feb. 5 death in the suburb of Kenner, near New Orleans, authorities announced in a press conference. Colbert, 48, had previously been charged with property crimes like fraud and theft after investigators found Manzano's credit card and cell phone at her residence in nearby Slidell.
Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich of the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office said Tuesday that Manzano's cause of death at 27 was found to be the combined effects of Xanax and alcohol along with positional asphyxia, explaining that "he was found face down in a pillow with no lividity around his nose and mouth." The manner of death is currently undetermined.
Cvitanovich also said Xanax was found at Colbert's home.
Sports reporter Adan Manzano dies at 27 while covering Super Bowl in New Orleans
Chief Keith Conley of the Kenner Police Department said authorities had also identified and arrested a suspected accomplice of Colbert's. Rickey White, whom Conley described as "kind of a transient," was located and arrested Friday in Hollywood, Fla.
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to an attorney for Colbert for comment. Information about White's legal representation was not immediately available.
Conley had previously announced that Colbert was seen with Manzano in security footage near the reporter's room at the Comfort Suites hotel, where he was staying to cover Super Bowl LIX. Investigators had found that Manzano's credit card was missing from his wallet and determined that Colbert used it at several businesses around New Orleans.
Danette Colbert's mug shot.
Kenner Police
Authorities also previously said in a news release that Colbert had an arrest record that included "allegations of drugging men, theft of currency, fraudulent use of credit and debit cards, and other financial crimes."
Woman arrested after Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano's death, accused of using his credit card
At the press conference Tuesday, Conley said investigators "found correspondence and information where [Colbert and White] were going back and forth, so we think they were working hand-in-hand in concert with each other on this." White was charged with simple robbery, access to device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud, and computer fraud.
"We don't want Ms. Colbert to see the light of day again," Conley added. "I can assure you that the men and women of the Kenner Police Department of these other agencies that we've been working with are still working hard and moving forward to make sure that no other family has to go through this kind of loss, and that Mr. Manzano did not die in vain because of the effort that we're all giving to make the streets a little bit safer to take these kinds of criminal elements off the street."
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Manzano was a sports journalist who regularly covered the Kansas City Chiefs for Spanish-language audiences for Kansas City's local Telemundo channel, KGKC. Telemundo Kansas City remembered him as "a true professional and a rising star, who exemplified excellence in his work" in a statement announcing his death.
"We will deeply miss Adan and his passion for sports, and the contributions he made to the local community," the statement continued. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time."