A new arrest has recently been made in connection with the tragic death of a journalist who was in New Orleans to report on the Super Bowl earlier this year.
The individual taken into custody is Christian Anderson, a 33-year-old resident of New Orleans. Authorities believe he played a part in an ongoing criminal operation that involved selecting targets, drugging them, and stealing from them.
One of the victims tied to this scheme was Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old journalist and news anchor for Telemundo stationed in Kansas City, Missouri. Manzano was discovered deceased on February 5 in his lodging at a hotel located in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans.
Manzano’s death came a year after his wife died in a car accident. The couple leaves behind a toddler daughter.
An autopsy revealed that Manzano died lying face down on a pillow, unable to breathe after ingesting a combination of alcohol and the depressant Xanax.
Security video from Manzano’s hotel showed the reporter and a woman, who police later identified as Danette Colbert, entering his room together on the morning of his death. About an hour later, Colbert could be seen walking out of the room alone. Authorities say the woman later used Manzano´s credit card at a New Orleans gas station and several stores in the area.
Television reporter Adan Manzano was found dead in his hotel room in a New Orleans suburb
Christian Anderson, 33, of New Orleans, was arrested for his alleged role in a recurring scheme
The ‘Bourbon Street Hustler’ Danette Colbert has already been sentenced to 25 years in prison
Colbert, whose arrest record includes allegations of drugging men and theft, was charged with second-degree murder and with stealing Manzano’s credit cards and cellphone. In addition, Ricky White, 34, has been charged with murder.
Kenner police said that the vehicle Colbert used on the day of Manzano’s death had been rented by Anderson.
After reviewing more evidence, including text messages, police say they believe that Anderson ‘provided logistical support, engaged in post-crime communication, and assisted in attempts to financially benefit from the victim´s stolen assets.’
Anderson has been charged with principal to simple robbery, purse snatching, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud and computer fraud.
He is currently being held in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. Jail records did not immediately list an attorney who could speak on Anderson’s behalf.
Colbert had been on probation after receiving a suspended sentence by an Orleans Parish judge last year for a conviction of theft and fraud charges.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office successfully argued in court earlier this year that Colbert, who has multiple prior felony convictions involving fraud, was a habitual offender and deserved a harsher sentence.
‘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.
Manzano’s wife, Ashleigh, died in 2024 in a car accident. They are pictured with their daughter
Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano is seen trailing behind the ‘Bourbon Street Hustler’, Danette Colbert, in what is the last photo of him alive, taken on February 5
The footage – exclusively obtained by Daily Mail – shows Manzano and Colbert entering the Comfort Suites in Kenner, Louisiana , on February 5 at 3.46am
Exclusive CCTV images obtained by DailyMail.com showed Colbert and Manzano arrive back at the Comfort Inn hotel in Kenner, Louisiana together before she left on her own.
Surveillance footage – exclusively obtained by Daily Mail – showed Manzano and Colbert entering the Comfort Inn in Kenner on February 5 at 3.46am.
He appeared coherent, following Colbert through the lobby, to his room. It remains unclear where the pair met.
Manzano was found unresponsive on February 5 at 3pm after colleagues called for a welfare check.
Colbert had been on probation when police arrested her for allegedly stealing the cellphone and bank cards of Manzano, a reporter and television anchor based in Kansas City, Missouri.
