A jury in Louisiana on Thursday convicted 49-year-old Dent Colbert of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Adan Manzano, a television reporter who had traveled to New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl. This news was announced by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
Charges Related to the Killing
Colbert was also convicted of engaging in organized criminal activities. Her accomplice, 35-year-old Ricky White, was similarly convicted. The activities of the two included luring victims in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans with sexual promises and then incapacitating them using drugs and stealing from their bank accounts and credit cards.
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Manzano, a 27-year-old reporter for Telemundo, was found dead on February 5 in his hotel room in the suburbs of Kenner, New Orleans. An autopsy revealed that he was in a state where he could not breathe and died due to a combination of alcohol and the sedative Xanax.
Sentence and Consequences
Prosecutors attempted to convict both defendants of second-degree murder, which carries a penalty of up to 40 years in prison. However, White was acquitted in this case. Colbert was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, which has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Jefferson Parish District Attorney Jenni Voss told reporters that the jury carefully reviewed all the evidence and respects their decision.
Voss added, "We are satisfied with this verdict — we knew this was a difficult case." She also noted that Manzano's family was unable to attend the trial. Steven Downing, the general manager of Telemundo in Kansas City, where Manzano worked, did not respond to requests for comment.
Colbert, who has a history of charges related to incapacitating men and theft, later used Manzano's credit card at a gas station in New Orleans and other local stores.
In court documents, prosecutors described Colbert as someone who acted under the guise of a "hooker or party girl," while White acted as her "manager" and helped secure and find victims for theft.
Another man named Christian Anderson, 35, who assisted Colbert and White in these criminal activities, testified against them in exchange for a reduction of his charges to simple theft and access device fraud. Court documents show that he confessed to both charges and was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Anderson "feels relieved to put this behind him," his attorney, Bradley Phillips, said. Anderson has cooperated with authorities since his arrest and "has clearly expressed remorse for his past behavior."
In court documents, prosecutors released extensive text messages exchanged between Colbert, White, and Anderson over the years, in which discussions about incapacitating and robbing victims took place.
Colbert and White are scheduled to be sentenced in late September. Manzano's death occurred a year after the death of his wife in a car accident, and the couple had a young daughter.
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Source: abcnews.com
