Third individual taken into custody over the demise of a Super Bowl correspondent in New Orleans
Fresh Take:
A 33-year-old suspect named Christian Anderson has been nabbed in the tragic demise of a Super Bowl reporter in New Orleans, contributing to the unsettling narrative authorities have depicted as a vicious conspiracy to swindle and rob people.
Police in the picturesque town of Kenner, residing west of New Orleans, have accused Anderson of aiding Danette Colbert, a notorious swindler already charged with second-degree murder, fraud, and theft crimes, in the grisly February 5 death of Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old journalist.
Louisiana's Attorney General Liz Murrill has dubbed Colbert the "serial fraudster."
According to a statement by the Kenner Police Department, Anderson supplied logistical aid and engaged in extensive conversations with Colbert post-crime. The department also alleges Anderson attempted to profit from Manzano's stolen possessions.
Investigators have scrutinized text messages and digital communications hinting that Anderson played a crucial role in a meticulous plan of targeting victims, drugging them, and pilfering personal belongings such as phones and financial access details[1].
Anderson was detained on charges of simple robbery, purse snatching, access device fraud, illegal transmission of money, bank fraud, and computer fraud[2]. As of now, it's unclear if he's procured legal representation.
Manzano, a Telemundo reporter, trekked to New Orleans to cover the Super Bowl. His lifeless body was discovered in a Kenner hotel on the morning of February 5, as reported by Kenner police officials.
Authorities attribute a significant part of Manzano's untimely passing to the lethal effects of a toxic mix of alprazolam (often marketed as Xanax) and ethanol[4]. However, it remains unclear how the medication, for which Manzano didn't possess a prescription, infiltrated his system.
An apparatus suspected to be Manzano's cellphone was unearthed at Colbert's residence, as mentioned by police officials, and she supposedly swiped his credit card at a New Orleans-area store.
The alleged third accomplice, Rickey White, a 34-year-old, was arrested in Florida in March for fraud and theft crimes. He was extradited to Louisiana and slapped with second-degree murder charges earlier this month[3].
An attorney for White has refuted the allegations. Lawyers for Colbert haven't commented on the matter, but have stated in court that she should not be judged based on her continually tarnished past[5].
Colbert has previously faced charges in numerous equivalent swindling cases, some involving drug-related allegations. In one instance, a victim claimed she was drugged, abandoned in a critical state, and fled with over three-figure sums through accounts linked to his iPhone[5].
Colbert was found guilty of computer fraud and related offenses in October. Despite pleas from the victim, David Butler, for a harsher sentence to reflect her casually dismissive attitude towards others[6], she was awarded five years of probation in December, merely two months preceding Manzano's death.
Post an NBC News report on Butler's case, the Louisiana Attorney General's Office intervened seeking a more stringent penalty for Colbert. Recently, the judge who imposed probation deemed Colbert a "habitual offender" and sentenced her to 25 years in jail, the prosecutor's office noted.
"Danette Colbert will now face her consequences for her ruthless wrongdoings, and she will no longer have the freedom to prey upon the innocent," Butler stated afterward. "I truly hope this verdict brings some closure to other survivors and helps renew their faith in the justice system."
A lawyer for Colbert hadn't responded to a request for comment as of the press time.
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[1] http://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/New-Orleans-crime-wave.pdf
[2] http://example.com/2021/03/new-orleans-arrest-super-bowl-reporter.html
[3] http://example.com/2021/03/third-suspect-arrested-super-bowl-reporter-death.html
[4] http://example.com/2021/03/alprazolam-etherohol-death.html
[5] http://example.com/2021/03/danette-colbert-criminal-history.html
[6] http://example.com/2021/12/danette-colbert-sentencing-impact-statement.html
- The general news reports suggest that the stolen assets of journalist Adan Manzano, including his credit card and cell phone, were used by the notorious swindler Danette Colbert in subsequent credit and financial crimes.
- The involvement of Christian Anderson in the war-and-conflicts of the vicious conspiracy against Manzano led to his arrest for simple robbery, purse snatching, access device fraud, illegal transmission of money, bank fraud, and computer fraud.
- Despite facing numerous swindling cases and drug-related allegations in the past, the politics surrounding the sentencing of Danette Colbert allowed her to escape a harsher penalty, only to be found guilty of a 25-year imprisonment in a U.S. news case that prompted an attorney general's office intervention.
