Woman accused of killing sports reporter resentenced in prior case

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A district court judge has resentenced Danette Colbert to 25 years following a trial that occurred in 2024, in which she was sentenced for computer fraud and theft.

She was originally given a 10-year suspended sentence, but prosecutors from the attorney general’s office argued Colbert was a repeat offender, claiming she had five prior felony convictions. Ultimately, they were able to prove four of them.

“She has been committing felonies in Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish for over a decade now, and it’s sad that it got to this point where we had to come in and do this, because it should have been done quite some time ago,” Assistant Attorney General Daniel Smart said.

A fingerprint expert with Louisiana State Police was brought in to testify that Colbert’s prints matched those from her prior arrests, a conclusion she made back in March.

Colbert’s prints were taken again to confirm the matches. Ultimately, Judge Campbell officially declared Colbert a quad-habitual offender.

“Through the diligent work of the state police all the way from the colonel to Ms. Moore who testified today to length, we were able to prove that every one of the convictions that they had records of, and the prints that were associated with those convictions today was the lady sitting in court today, Ms. Colbert,” Smart said.

With this new sentence, Colbert is not eligible for probation, parole or suspension.

“That sentence could have been imposed months ago but it was not, but my office and Ms. Murrill decided that we needed to assist Mr. Williams’ office and impose that sentence,” Smart said.

This case is unrelated to the death of Kansas City sports reporter Adan Manzano, with that case set to begin soon. Regardless of the outcome though, Colbert is expected to be in prison for a very long time.

“This has nothing to do with that case. That is a case that the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office and the Kenner Police Department are handling,” Smart said.

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