Indian-Origin Motel Manager Beheaded in Dallas; Suspect Arrested With Machete
An Indian-origin man was brutally killed in a machete attack at a Dallas motel on September 10, police said. The victim, 50-year-old Chandramouli Nagamallaiah, was allegedly beheaded in front of his wife and son by Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, who is now facing a capital murder charge.
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| Cobos-Martinez also has a criminal history in Houston and Florida. Via Peyton Yager |
The killing unfolded at the Downtown Suites motel, located just off Interstate 30 near the Tenison Golf Course, where Nagamallaiah worked as manager.
Court records show Cobos-Martinez, covered in blood and armed with a machete, was arrested a block away after allegedly discarding Nagamallaiah’s severed head in a dumpster.
Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, was arrested and charged in connection with the beheading death of Chandra Nagamallaiah, 50, which took place at a Dallas motel
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According to an affidavit cited by NBC News reporters Tim Stelloh and Nicole Duarte, the dispute began when Nagamallaiah told Cobos-Martinez not to use a broken washing machine.
Angered that the instruction was translated through a woman, Cobos-Martinez allegedly slashed the manager repeatedly, ignoring pleas from the victim’s family. The affidavit says he continued “until his head was removed from his body.”
Dallas County jail records identify Cobos-Martinez as an undocumented immigrant being held without bond under an immigration detainer. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not commented on the case.
Dallas beheading arrest: 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the killing of 50-year-old Chandra Nagamallaiah. Here’s the moment he was booked into jail.
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The Consulate General of India in Houston said it “condoles the tragic death of Mr. Chandra Nagamallaiah, an Indian National, killed brutally at his workplace in Dallas.”
The mission added it was “in touch with the family and offering all possible assistance” and is following up closely with local authorities.
Images from local broadcaster SKY 4 showed the motel cordoned off with crime scene tape and a partition near the sidewalk where the victim collapsed.