A woman involved in a New Orleans criminal enterprise that targeted tourists and led to the death of a reporter has been resentenced to life in prison. On Wednesday, a Jefferson Parish judge resentenced 49-year-old Danette Colbert to life in prison plus 75 years under Louisiana’s habitual offender law.
Background
In September, Colbert was initially sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison: 50 years for racketeering and a consecutive 10 years for negligent homicide in the death of Adan Manzano, a journalist for the Spanish-language news outlet Telemundo Kansas City.
““The court is going to find that Ms. Colbert is at least a fourth felony offender,” said Judge Nancy Miller of the 24th Judicial District Court during Colbert’s resentencing.
Incident Details
Last February, Manzano traveled to the New Orleans area to cover the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl clash with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was found dead in his hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana, just days before the game. The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office reported that Manzano died from positional asphyxiation, with an autopsy revealing Xanax and alcohol in his system.
