A SHOCKING twist has occurred in the investigation of the murder of a Super Bowl reporter.
Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old Telemundo reporter was found dead on February 5 in his New Orleans hotel room.
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Louisiana authorities have charged a second suspect with murder in the case of Manzano’s death.
A woman was seen on security video leaving Manzano’s room ahead of the Super Bowl and was charged with second-degree murder and stealing his credit cards.
That suspect was named as 48-year-old Danette Colbert.
Police in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner announced on Monday that an accomplice was charged in relation to Manzano’s murder.
Three months after Manzano was killed, 34-year-old Ricky White has also been charged with second-degree murder.
He was arrested in Florida in March on robbery and fraud charges in relation to the murder before being extradited to Louisiana.
Kenner police said that the charge against White came from “continued investigative efforts,” but they would not give any more details.
Police Chief Keith Conley said on March 18 that White was linked to Colbert based on “correspondence and information where they were going back and forth.
“So we think they were working hand-in-hand in concert with each other.”
It took nearly two more months for that link to result in White being charged with murder.
White’s attorney, Kevin Boshea, wasn’t aware of the murder charge before an Associated Press reporter contacted him on Monday.
“I don’t think he’s guilty of the other crimes,” Boshea said.
“So how can he be guilty of murder?”
Boshea said he asked police to present evidence of White being in New Orleans at the time of Manzano’s murder, but he claims they presented none.
Another attorney for Colbert claims that police are “assumptions and guesses” to link her to Manzano’s death.
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An autopsy found Manzano died face down on a pillow after ingesting alcohol and Xanax, according to Jefferson Parish Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich.
Police said security footage showed he entered his hotel room with Colbert on the day of his death.
She left without him about an hour later, and police say Colbert used his credit card to make purchases at several stores in the area.
Police also say that Manzano has no medical record of prescriptions for Xanax or other antidepressants, and more samples of the drug were found in Colbert’s home.
In Louisiana, a defendant can be charged with second-degree murder for distributing drugs that cause someone to die, even if they didn’t physically murder the victim.