Super Bowl reporter found dead had depressant in system, suspect held as 'flight risk'
A Kansas City sports journalist who was covering Super Bowl 59 and was found dead in his hotel room had Xanax or a similar depressant in his system, a drug he did not have a prescription for, police said.
Detective Jeffrey Fitzmorris with the Kenner (Louisiana) Police Department testified at a bond hearing on Tuesday for Danette Colbert, 48, of Slidell, Louisiana. He talked about a preliminary toxicology report that found Adan Manzano, 27, had benzodiazepine in his system, as reported by several news outlets including The Times-Picayune.
Manzano had not been prescribed any such medication, according to Fitzmorris.
One of the most well-known benzodiazepines, or depressants, is Xanax. Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed for treating anxiety but may cause sleepiness, amnesia, extreme drowsiness, impaired coordination, decreased reflexes, and, potentially, death, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Colbert was arrested in connection with – but has yet to be charged in – Manzano's death. She remains in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, Louisiana, on charges of property crimes including fraud and theft-related offenses.
Jefferson Parish Criminal Magistrate David Wolff called Colbert a flight risk and "a danger to society. Apparently, random victims that come across her wind up being victims of crime," the Times-Picayune reported him saying during the hearing.
Defense attorney Stavros Panagoulopoulos told WVUE, a Fox TV station in New Orleans, that Colbert is "scared. She's frustrated. She's upset. She's innocent of the charges and she's looking forward to proving it."
Police found Xanax at home of woman arrested in connection with reporter's death
Police arrested Colbert on the night of Feb. 6 in New Orleans after investigators saw video of her leaving Manzano's Comfort Suites hotel room near New Orleans early the previous day.
Fitzmorris testified investigators found Manzano's cell phone, along with his debit and credit card, in a search of Colbert's home, the Times-Picayune reported. Police also found several drugs, including alprazolam (Xanax), Fitzmorris said.
Colbert has been arrested in the past for allegedly drugging men and stealing from them, Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said earlier this month. He described her as a "career criminal" who frequented the French Quarter and is "known for these fraud schemes," including allegedly hustling men.
Police and the Louisiana Attorney General's Office are looking into Colbert's possible involvement in the similar death of a Maryland man in New Orleans in December, the Times-Picayune reported.
She had previously been arrested in two separate cases in Las Vegas of drugging men and stealing from them, but the charges were dropped because the victims did not want to testify in court, Daniel Lippmann, the attorney who represented Colbert, told The Associated Press.
Adan Manzano remembered in Topeka, Kansas
Manzano, 27, was an anchor and sports reporter for Telemundo Kansas City, who was on assignment for the Spanish language network and Tico Sports.
Manzano's death comes less than a year after his wife Ashleigh Boyd died in a car accident and they leave behind a two-year-old daughter.
Family and friends held a funeral mass for Manzano on Feb. 21 in Topeka, Kansas.
“We want to express our gratitude for all the support, respect, and privacy shown during this difficult time for our family," the Manzano Aguilar family said in a statement with Telemundo Kansas City. "We hope that you cherish the good moments you shared with Adan and always keep him in your hearts.
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