A Louisiana jury convicted a woman of negligent homicide on Thursday in the death of a Telemundo television reporter who had been visiting New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl, according to the Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office.
uncertain
who → convict → office
Danette Colbert, 49, was also convicted of racketeering, as was her accomplice, 35-year-old Rickey White, according to Paul Purpura, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office.
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accomplice → convict → office
Racketeering carries up to a 50-year sentence in Louisiana.
asserted
Racketeering → carry → Louisiana
The two had spent years carrying out a criminal enterprise that drew in victims in the city’s historic French Quarter with the promise of sex, then used drugs to knock them out and drain their bank accounts using stolen cards and phones, according to prosecutors.
uncertain
that → spend → prosecutors
Colbert was the last person seen leaving the room of Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old reporter and anchor for Telemundo based in Kansas City, Missouri, who was found dead in his hotel room Feb. 5 in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner days before the Super Bowl last year.
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who → see → Bowl
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.
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Manzano → reveal → alcohol
Prosecutors had sought to convict both Colbert and White on the charge of manslaughter, which carries up to a 40-year sentence.
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which → seek → sentence
White was found not guilty.
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White → find → ?
Colbert’s negligent homicide conviction carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, Jefferson Parish Assistant District Attorney Jenny Voss told reporters.
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Voss → carry → reporters
She said the jury had carefully weighed all the evidence and she respected its decision.
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she → say → decision
“We are pleased with the verdict — we knew this was a difficult case going in,” she told reporters.
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she → please → reporters
“Justice was served.”
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Justice → serve → ?
Manzano’s family was unable to attend the trial, Voss added.
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Voss → attend → trial
Steve Downing, the general manager of Telemundo Kansas City where Manzano had worked, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Manzano → work → comment
Stavros Panagoulopoulos, Colbert’s attorney, and Leo Caillier III, White’s attorney, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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III → respond → comment
Colbert, whose arrest record included allegations of drugging men and theft, later used Manzano’s credit card at a New Orleans gas station and other stores in the area.
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record → include → area
In court documents, prosecutors described Colbert as acting under the guise of a “prostitute or ‘party girl’” while White served as her “pimp,” who provided security and helped find and rob victims.
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who → describe → victims
Another man who assisted Colbert and White with their criminal ring, Christian Anderson, 35, testified against them in exchange for reducing his charges to simple robbery and access device fraud, according to Purpura.
uncertain
who → assist → Purpura
Court records show he pleaded guilty to both charges and received a six-year prison sentence.
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he → show → sentence
Anderson “is relieved to be able to put this behind him,” said his attorney, Bradley Phillips.
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attorney → relieve → him
Anderson has been cooperating with law enforcement since his arrest and “has clearly demonstrated remorse for his past behavior.”
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Anderson → cooperate → behavior
In court documents, prosecutors revealed extensive text messages dating back years among Colbert, White and Anderson, discussing using drugs to incapacitate and rob victims.
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prosecutors → reveal → victims
Colbert and White are scheduled to be sentenced in late September, according to the Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office.
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Colbert → schedule → office
Manzano’s death came a year after his wife died in a car accident.
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wife → come → accident
The couple left behind a toddler daughter.
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couple → leave → daughter
___
Brook reported from New Orleans.
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Brook → report → Orleans
Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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that → place → issues
The Aporia
