Two Convicted in Tourist-Targeting Scheme

crime scene tape in a living room with two officers in background — Photo: PeopleImages / Shutterstock

A Louisiana jury convicted one defendant of negligent homicide and both of racketeering in a scheme that preyed on tourists, after a Super Bowl reporter was found dead.

Story Snapshot

Jurors found Danette Colbert guilty of negligent homicide in Adan Manzano’s death.
Colbert and Rickey White were both convicted of racketeering tied to targeting tourists.
Medical and digital evidence described intoxication, positional asphyxia, and texts about “knockout drugs”.
White was acquitted of manslaughter; Colbert’s lawyer plans an appeal.

What The Jury Decided And Why It Matters

Jefferson Parish jurors found Danette Colbert guilty of negligent homicide in the death of reporter Adan Manzano and convicted both Colbert and Rickey White of racketeering linked to a tourist-targeting scheme. Prosecutors said the pair lured and exploited visitors. The split outcome shows jurors believed a criminal enterprise existed but drew a line on the highest homicide claims. This kind of mixed verdict is common in complex cases that combine a death with broader organized conduct.

Prosecutors relied on witnesses, phone forensics, and expert testimony to show how the scheme worked and how Manzano died. Coverage cited testimony that texts between Colbert and White discussed “knockout drugs,” choosing targets, and what they took from victims. The district attorney’s office framed the case as a deliberate effort to exploit people who did not know the city and who were more vulnerable in hotel settings around major events like the Super Bowl.

The Evidence Presented In Court

Reporters in court said a pathologist testified Manzano had a high blood alcohol level and generic Xanax in his system. The expert linked these to death by positional asphyxia, which can occur when a person’s body position blocks normal breathing, especially when intoxicated. Investigators and witnesses also placed Colbert leaving Manzano’s hotel room before he was found unresponsive, adding a timeline thread to the state’s case. These details supported negligence, not an intentional killing.

Digital forensic work described extractions from phones and texts that spoke about drugging and robbing targets. That testimony underpinned the racketeering counts and the state’s argument that this was not random theft but a pattern of conduct against visitors. The Jefferson Parish District Attorney said both defendants were convicted as charged on racketeering, highlighting how enterprise evidence can be stronger and clearer than the precise medical chain that proves a death beyond a reasonable doubt.

Defense Pushback And The Limits Of The Record

Colbert’s lawyer said he will appeal and argued the negligent-homicide verdict looked like a compromise among jurors, not a full embrace of the state’s theory. He stressed the verdict was “a far cry from manslaughter” and noted White’s acquittal on the manslaughter charge. Defense arguments also claimed the state did not prove Colbert gave Manzano alprazolam, and that the pair were petty thieves rather than part of an organized ring.

A woman was found guilty of negligent homicide in connection with the death of Adan Manzano, a sports reporter killed while covering Super Bowl LIX in 2025.

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— WTVY News 4 (@WTVYNews4) September 18, 2026

Public reporting on the trial gives a snapshot, not the full record. Journalists summarized witness accounts, medical opinions, and text messages, but the full transcripts, exhibits, and jury instructions are not in these summaries. That gap limits how precisely we can trace each evidentiary link. Even so, the official verdicts and the district attorney’s description anchor the core facts: negligent homicide for Colbert and racketeering for both defendants in a scheme aimed at tourists.