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A woman facing a second-degree murder charge for the death of a Super Bowl television reporter has been sentenced to 25 years in an unrelated case on Thursday.

Danette Colbert, 48, had previously been given a suspended sentence by an Orleans Parish judge last year after being convicted of theft and fraud charges.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office successfully argued in court that Colbert, who has multiple prior felony convictions involving fraud, was a habitual offender and deserved a harsher sentence.


  Danette Colbert in a 2022 booking photo with the Las Vegas Police Department after a theft at the Wynn Las Vegas on Jan. 17. Metropolitan PD Danette Colbert in a 2022 booking photo with the Las Vegas Police Department after a theft at the Wynn Las Vegas on Jan. 17. Metropolitan PD

Colbert had been on probation when police arrested her for allegedly stealing the cellphone and bank cards of a reporter found dead in his hotel room on Feb. 5.

He was in town to cover Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans.

Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old reporter and television anchor based in Kansas City, Missouri, suffocated while lying face down on a pillow.

Alcohol and the depressant Xanax were later found in his system.

Colbert was captured on security footage leaving Manzano’s hotel room in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, police said.


  Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano stands on the field of State Farm Stadium in Arizona before the 2023 Super Bowl. Adam Manzano/Facebook Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano stands on the field of State Farm Stadium in Arizona before the 2023 Super Bowl. Adam Manzano/Facebook

  Adan Manzano and Danette Colbert at the Kenner Comfort Inn in Kenner, Louisiana on Feb. 5, 2025, hours before the reporter’s death. Kenner PD Adan Manzano and Danette Colbert at the Kenner Comfort Inn in Kenner, Louisiana on Feb. 5, 2025, hours before the reporter’s death. Kenner PD

  Colbert had been on probation when police arrested her for allegedly stealing the cellphone and bank cards of a reporter. Facebook/Danette Colbert Colbert had been on probation when police arrested her for allegedly stealing the cellphone and bank cards of a reporter. Facebook/Danette Colbert

Colbert and another person still face second-degree murder charges in Jefferson Parish, bordering New Orleans.

“The evidence was overwhelming that this woman was a serial fraudster and took advantage of multiple tourists and innocent people over many years in the French Quarter,” Murrill said in an emailed statement.


  A 2022 Las Vegas booking photo for Colbert after she was arrested for driving nearly 100 mph in a school zone. LVMPD A 2022 Las Vegas booking photo for Colbert after she was arrested for driving nearly 100 mph in a school zone. LVMPD

  Adan Manzano on set of Telemundo Kansas City. AP Adan Manzano on set of Telemundo Kansas City. AP

Colbert’s attorney Jerome Matthews did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stavros Panagoulopoulos, the lawyer representing Colbert in the second-degree murder case, declined to comment.

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