The woman arrested in connection with a reporter’s death ahead of the Super Bowl was previously accused of drugging a man, stealing his savings and leaving him for dead, NBC News reports.
Louisiana woman Danette Colbert, 48, was arrested last week in connection with the death of Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano near New Orleans after the Kenner Police Department found her in possession of his cell phone and credit cards. Now, David Butler tells NBC News he was victimized by her more than three years ago.
Butler, 52, told NBC News he met Colbert while renovating a home in New Orleans in 2021. One night, he went to a bar and accepted a drink from another woman, but felt disoriented afterward, he told the outlet. Then, Colbert appeared and offered to get him home, he said.
“She ushered me into some kind of black Suburban that was literally right there,” Butler told NBC News. “And that’s the last thing I remember that night.”
Hours later, Butler said he awoke on a mattress inside the home he was renovating with no idea how he got there. His phone and wallet were gone, Butler claimed, and he later discovered thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges on his credit cards. He also said more than $80,000 that he had in a cryptocurrency account was gone.
Colbert was convicted in October on charges of computer fraud, theft and illegal transmission of monetary funds, NBC News reports. She was ordered to pay Butler $50,000 in restitution, with mostly payments of $834, NBC News reports. Butler claims he hasn’t received any money.
In a December message to Orleans Criminal District Judge Nandi Campbell, who over saw the case, Butler said he had “grave concerns” about Colbert’s sentence, according to NBC News.
“The minimal fines and lack of meaningful incarceration for crimes that could have led to serious injury or loss of life are, quite frankly, an insult to public safety and the justice system,” Butler wrote in the message, as reported by NBC News. “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.”
Butler reached out to the Kenner Police Department with his story after Colbert’s arrest this week, he told NBC News.
Meanwhile, police are investigating Manzano’s death. In addition to police finding his cellphone and credit cards with Colbert, security footage shows Colbert and Manzano walking together early Wednesday morning, The Independent previously reported. It also showed Manzano leaving Colbert’s room at a Kenner hotel.
Manzano was found dead in his hotel room late Wednesday night.
Officials have charged Colbert with fraud and other related crimes in connection with Manzano’s death, NBC News reports, but have yet to determine whether she should be charged with additional crimes.
Colbert is well known to New Orleans police with a history of arrests for various financial crimes and running cons, Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley told reporters Friday. He said that in at least two previous arrests, she was accused of drugging alleged victims and stealing their property.
The Independent has contacted Campbell’s office, the Kenner Police Department and the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office for comment. The Independent has been unable to identify Colbert’s attorney for comment.
