A Louisiana jury convicted Melissa Colbert of negligent homicide for the death of Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano in New Orleans during Super Bowl week last year. Manzano was found dead from ingesting alcohol and the depressant Xanax after being lured to a hotel room by Colbert, who had spent years running a criminal enterprise that targeted victims with false promises of sex before robbing them. The trial also convicted Colbert on racketeering charges but acquitted her accomplice, 35-year-old Christian White, although he faces up to 50 years for the same charge.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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.
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who → convict → Office
, 49, was also convicted of racketeering, as was her accomplice, 35-year-old , 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.
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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.
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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 Manzano died lying face down on a pillow, unable to breathe after ingesting a combination of alcohol and the depressant
.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 → reveal → sentence
White was found not guilty.
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White → find → ?
Jurors deliberated for five and a half hours before reaching their decision, according to the district attorney's office.
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Jurors → deliberate → office
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," she told reporters.
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she → please → reporters
"We knew that this was a difficult case going in with a lot of complicated law, and we really feel like they took all that into consideration, and justice was served.
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justice → know → consideration
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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Panagoulopoulos → 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.
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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 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 is survived by a toddler daughter.
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couple → survive → daughter
The Aporia
