Authorities Charge Second Suspect in Super Bowl Reporter’s Tragic Death

In a weird turn of events, Louisiana officials formally charged another person with involvement in the sudden death of the television reporter Adan Manzano, who was reporting for New Orleans on the 2025 Super Bowl. Manzano, 27-year-old Telemundo Kansas City anchor and reporter, died a tragic death inside his Kenner, Louisiana hotel room on February 5.

Earlier on, the investigation was centered on a woman, whose age later came out to be 49, Danette Colbert, who had been spotted by hotel CCTV cameras exiting Manzano’s room alone an hour after she had gone in with him. Colbert faces charges from the police with the purchase of goods using Manzano’s credit cards and swindling him of his phone after he had been murdered. She was then charged with theft and second-degree murder.

And now, several months later, a second suspect has been charged in the case. On Monday, the Kenner Police announced that 34-year-old Rickey White also has a charge of second-degree murder. White was earlier arrested last March in Florida on related charges of robbery and fraud. He was subsequently extradited out of Louisiana, where further investigative steps connected him more directly to Manzano’s murder.

Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said that detectives worked around the clock trying to figure out what really went down with Manzano. The agency in a statement attributed “ongoing investigative efforts” to the elevation of the charge against White but declined to elaborate.

Earlier this month, at a press conference, Chief Conley reported that White and Colbert were in constant communication when Manzano died. He went on to say that their texts indicated that they were working together. “We believe they were working hand-in-hand,” Conley said, citing text messages and other communications between the suspects as evidence in the case.

White’s lawyer, Kevin Boshea, seemed surprised by the new charge of murder. In a series of media interviews, he stated that he had not received official notice previously but did not believe the charges were valid. “I don’t believe he’s guilty of the other ones,” Boshea stated. “So how could he be guilty of murder?

Boshea also inquired about the evidence that was or was not introduced at a previous hearing. He maintained police hadn’t introduced White being within the New Orleans area, at least during Manzano’s murder, and which could be the heart of White’s defense.

Louisiana law second-degree murder offenses, however, do not only serve purposeful killings but also killing in the attempted or actual perpetration of offense like robbery or selling drugs leading to a lethal overdose.

To Manzano, Jefferson Parish coroner ruled his death was caused by positional asphyxia under the influence of Xanax and alcohol. He lay on a pillow with his face toward the floor and could not breathe. In an interesting twist, authorities confirmed Manzano never took prescription Xanax and found the drug later in Colbert’s apartment.

Security videotapes tell a ghost story. When Manzano was killed, Colbert was seen on the tape entering the hotel room with him and later leaving about an hour later, alone. Subsequently, police say, she was taped shopping on Manzano’s credit card at a gas station and some downtown retail stores.

That was not the first contact with law enforcement for Colbert. She previously has had criminal history of charges for offenses involving larceny and fraud, according to the public records. She was already arrested twice in Las Vegas on grand larceny charges in 2022 and was charged with spiking up hotel patrons on drugs for the purpose of stealing from them. Those charges were dropped when the victims declined to prosecute.

The detectives believe that Colbert and Manzano had encountered one another both being out at night enjoying the city, perhaps attending a Super Bowl party. She is also accused of going to his hotel room to beat him up so that she might steal from him. White is now also facing allegations as an accomplice is purportedly offering her rides and helping the burglaries.

Court papers also appear to show text messages exchanged between White and Colbert that reference victims’ PINs being swiped and drugging – “knock outs” that were utilized so as to knock out victims. The text messages were also on the day of Manzano’s murder, and this further sets up the case that White was a party to a criminal enterprise.

The international community brought the world’s attention to this case, not just for the indiscriminate killing of a young reporter, but also for the chain of predatory acts police believe were involved. Manzano was a gem among Telemundo Kansas City employees, who characterized him as a man who loved reporting and whose work ethic was impossible to penetrate. His untimely death created a void in the newsroom and among the people who knew him.

Police are still working together with many agencies, including the Louisiana State Police, the state Attorney General’s Office, and the Jefferson Parish District Attorney. Investigators indicated they are determined to bring everyone to justice and uncover all of the facts about Manzano’s death.

As this case winds its way through the courts, it will continue to stay true to keeping accountable those who are accountable. Meanwhile, White’s indictments are a crucial benchmark for a case that outraged the community of journalists and the general public. Even as justice moves at a glacial speed, officials are hoping that one day it will provide some form of closure for Manzano’s family members, friends, and co-workers.