Suspect in 2025 beheading at Dallas motel won't face death penalty, DA says
A capital murder suspect accused of beheading a 50-year-old man outside a Dallas motel last year will not be facing the death penalty, according to court documents.
Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, was arrested in September 2025 in the beheading death of Chandra Nagamallaiah using a machete, Dallas police have said. Both Combos-Martinez and Nagamallaiah were motel employees.
The state will not be seeking the death penalty against Combos-Martinez, District Attorney John Creuzot wrote in a notice of intent submitted to the Dallas County court, Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported. It’s unclear when the case might go to trial.
September 2025 killing
According to witnesses and an arrest warrant affidavit, Cobos-Martinez killed Nagamallaiah in front of his wife and son, then kicked his severed head across the motel parking lot before throwing it into a dumpster, the Star-Telegram has previously reported.
The suspect, who has lengthy criminal record in Texas and other states, admitted to police during a video interview that he killed Nagamallaiah with a machete, according to the affidavit.
In surveillance footage Cobos-Martinez was seen leaving the motel room, grabbing a machete and beginning cutting and stabbing Nagamallaiah, police said. Nagamallaiah ran toward the motel office while Cobos-Martinez chased after him with the machete, police have said.
Cobos-Martinez was covered with blood and still holding the machete when he left the motel, according to police.
Loving father and devoted husband
Nagamallaiah, also known as “Bob” by friends and family, was “a loving husband, devoted father, and kind soul who touched the lives of everyone who knew him,” the family wrote on a GoFundMe account.
He leaves behind “his wife, Nisha, and his 18-year-old son, Gaurav, who dreams of studying Hospitality Management, inspired by his father’s hard work and generosity,” the post read.