Louisiana police have arrested a third suspect in connection with Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano’s hotel room murder.
Manzano, a 27-year-old Kansas City, Missouri-based Telemundo sports reporter, was in New Orleans on assignment to cover Super Bowl LIX. He was found dead with Xanax in his system in his room at the Comfort Suites hotel in Kenner, Louisiana, on the morning of Feb. 5.
Officials said his death was caused by the combined toxic effects of Xanax and alcohol, noting that he had been found “face-down in a pillow with no lividity around his nose and mouth.” Since then, Kenner police have arrested so-called “Bourbon Street Hustler” Danette Colbert, 48, and her accused accomplice, Ricky White, in connection with Manzano’s death,
On Friday, Kenner police also announced the arrest of Christian Anderson, 33, a New Orleans resident, for his alleged involvement in the plot that led to Manzano’s death.
LOUISIANA POLICE ANNOUNCE UPDATE IN ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ CASE AFTER SUPER BOWL REPORTER’S DRUG DEATH
Colbert was nicknamed the “Bourbon Street Hustler” on social media due to her lengthy past targeting men in the French Quarter and stealing their money. She is accused of similar crimes in Las Vegas. Authorities believe she, White and Anderson conspired to drug Manzano and then steal his credit cards before authorities found him dead.
Colbert and Manzano “met in the French Quarter, probably in the wee hours of the morning,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley previously told Fox News Digital.
SUPER BOWL REPORTER DEAD IN LOUISIANA HOTEL HAD XANAX IN SYSTEM AFTER ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ MEETUP: POLICE
“They came back to the hotel that was in the city of Kenner about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, at which time we do have surveillance video from the lobby of the hotel showing them going into [Manzano’s] room around that time,” Conley said. “Then [Colbert] came out, ran to the store, came back about 30 minutes later, and within 10 or 15 minutes, she left the room. And he was never seen again on any video other than when he went into the room. So, she was the last one to be with him.”
Detectives found that one of Manzano’s credit cards was missing while processing his hotel room, Conley told reporters during a news conference on Feb. 8. Authorities then obtained a search warrant allowing them to track the locations where the credit card was used after Manzano was found, which led them to Colbert.
NEW ORLEANS ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ SUSPECT IN SUPER BOWL REPORTER DEATH MAY BE TIED TO 2ND FATALITY: POLICE
White is facing various charges, including simple robbery and multiple counts of fraud. He was later charged with murder in connection with Manzano’s death.
Authorities have also obtained an arrest warrant for Anderson for principal to simple robbery, purse snatching, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud and computer fraud. He is currently detained at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center alongside Colbert and White, Kenner police said.
LOUISIANA HOTEL SURVEILLANCE SHOWS SUPER BOWL REPORTER WITH ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ JUST BEFORE DEATH
“Evidence gathered through search warrants, text message records, and digital communications revealed that Anderson, along with previously arrested suspects Danette Colbert and Rickey White, played an active role in a coordinated pattern of targeting victims, drugging them, and stealing personal property, including phones and financial account access,” Kenner police said in a Friday press release.
“Detectives discovered that the vehicle used by Danette Colbert on the day of Manzano’s death had been rented by Christian Anderson, and further evidence showed that Anderson provided logistical support, engaged in post-crime communication, and assisted in attempts to financially benefit from the victim’s stolen assets.”
‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO SUPER BOWL REPORTER’S DEATH LINKED TO LAS VEGAS DRUGGING
Records also allegedly show that “Anderson and Colbert communicated extensively following the incident, and that he played a role in the group’s recurring criminal behavior,” Kenner police said.
Colbert was recently sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for crimes unrelated to Manzano’s death, including theft, computer fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds stemming from a 2024 case.
Police are asking anyone with information about Colbert to come forward. Some victims, Conley said, do not speak up, due to the sensitive nature of the suspect’s alleged crimes.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Colbert’s address after identifying her as a potential suspect in connection with Manzano’s death and said they had located a stolen gun that did not appear to be related to Manzano’s death and narcotics.
Read the full article here