Machete attacker who beheaded his boss at Dallas motel is in U.S. illegally: ICE
The man accused of beheading his boss at a Dallas motel with a machete on Wednesday is a Cuban national who is in the United States illegally, authorities say.
The gruesome attack was apparently prompted by the boss not being able to speak Spanish, records show.
An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV provides new details about the killing of Chandra Nagamallaiah, a 50-year-old manager at the Downtown Suites motel in East Dallas. The warrant and other sources say the suspect killed Nagamallaiah in front of his family, then kicked his severed head “like a soccer ball” across the motel parking lot before throwing it into a dumpster.
The 37-year-old suspect, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, faces a capital murder charge and is being held without bond. He admitted to police during a video interview that he killed Nagamallaiah with a machete, according to the affidavit. He has a lengthy criminal record in Texas and other states.
Another motel worker told police that she and Cobos-Martinez were cleaning a room when Nagamallaiah approached them and told Cobos-Martinez to stop using a washing machine that was broken. According to the affidavit, Cobos-Martinez became angry that Nagamallaiah gave the instructions to the other worker and asked her to translate.
Video footage shows Cobos-Martinez leave the motel room, grab a machete and begin cutting and stabbing Nagamallaiah. The victim ran toward the motel office while Cobos-Martinez chased after him with the machete, police said.
Motel manager’s family witnessed beheading
Nagamallaiah’s wife and son saw what was happening and tried to stop it. The suspect pushed them away several times and continued the attack, police said. At one point, Cobos-Martinez went through Nagamallaiah’s pockets and took his phone and a lanyard with a key card, according to the affidavit.
Witnesses called 911, and Dallas-Fire Rescue arrived as Cobos-Martinez was trying to leave. They followed him and directed police where to find him.
Cobos-Martinez was covered with blood and still holding the machete when he left the motel, investigators said. Police arrested him in a couple of blocks away on Samuell Boulevard.
Cobos-Martinez has been linked to other crimes in Houston, Florida and California, KXAS-TV reported. He is accused of being in the United States illegally and is being held at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas without bond on an immigration hold, according to court records.
It’s unclear whether Cobos-Martinez has obtained a defense attorney to represent him. He apparently had been living at the motel, according to court records.
ICE recently had suspect in custody
His prior arrests include a 2017 case in South Lake Tahoe, California, where he faced charges including carjacking and false imprisonment after authorities said he tried to steal a woman’s car while naked, Nevada NBC station KRNV-TV reported.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told WFAA that Cabos-Martinez had recently been in the custody of Enforcement and Removal Operations at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas. But he was released in January on an order of supervision because there were “no removal flights to Cuba,” the ICE spokesperson said.
ICE assisted Dallas police in questioning the suspect about the decapitation.
“Cobos-Martinez did the unthinkable and proceeded to kick the head around like a soccer ball,” ICE told WFAA in a statement.
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 3:59 PM.
