Adan Manzano, a Telemundo reporter who was killed in New Orleans while covering the Super Bowl, was seen right before his death with a woman being investigated for a similar crime.
Danette Colbert, 48, also known as the “Bourbon Street Hustler,” was captured on surveillance video walking into a hotel room with 27-year-old Manzano, the same place where he was later found dead.
Colbert was the last person seen going into the reporter’s hotel room early February, cops said, and she was later arrested after using his credit card.
Investigators are now looking into whether Manzano was drugged and robbed by Colbert, who is being investigated for a similar incident, according to Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley.
In December, 55-year-old John Jenkins was found dead in a French Quarter hotel from cocaine ethanol toxicity. His death was ruled an accident at the time. He was also missing property when found.
NOLA.com reported that Colbert has been accused before of drugging and stealing from men. She was also arrested twice in Las Vegas after allegedly taking more than $50,000 from two people, who believe they were drugged, according to the outlet. The accusers ended up not wanting to testify, and prosecutors dropped the cases, according to the Associated Press.
David Butler, another alleged victim who suspected he was drugged, said Colbert got into a cab with him to his house at the time, telling him: “let me get you home safe.”
He said he woke up to find his wallet, phone, and watch missing, along with $80,000 in cryptocurrency. Colbert also tried to transfer another $50,000 to herself, but the bank blocked it, according to court records.
After she was given probation in November for the crime, Butler wrote to the judge: “If someone dies due to her actions in the future, their blood will undeniably be on the hands of those who allowed her to escape real accountability today.”
Mananzo’s toxicology report is still pending as investigators look into if he was drugged. His wife was killed in a car accident just last year, with his 2-year-old daughter living with his in-laws in Kansas. A GoFundMe has been made for his funeral expenses.
Colbert is being held in jail and currently not facing charges for Manzano’s death.
