An Indian man from Karnataka, 50-year-old Chandra Nagamallaiah, was savagely murdered at a Dallas motel by Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old Cuban immigrant with a violent criminal history who had recently been released from custody.
Nagamallaiah, who managed the Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, east of Downtown Dallas, was attacked with a machete in a horrific assault that ended with his beheading.
Chilling CCTV footage shows Cobos-Martinez chasing Nagamallaiah through the motel corridor while repeatedly striking him with the weapon.
The victim’s desperate screams brought his wife and 18-year-old son rushing to his aid, but despite their repeated attempts to stop the assailant, they were forcefully pushed away. At one point, Nagamallaiah’s son appeared with a baseball bat, but by then his father was already motionless from the brutal attack.
Chilling Video
The video captures Cobos-Martinez rifling through the victim’s pockets before continuing his frenzied assault, during which Nagamallaiah was beheaded.
In another disturbing angle, the assailant is seen kicking the severed head like a football, later picking it up and disposing of it in a dumpster. When Nagamallaiah’s wife tried once more to intervene, Cobos-Martinez advanced menacingly toward her, forcing her son to drag her away from the horrific scene.
According to the arrest affidavit, the violence erupted after a minor dispute earlier that morning.
A witness told police she was cleaning a room with Cobos-Martinez when Nagamallaiah asked them not to use a broken washing machine. Cobos-Martinez reportedly grew angry because the victim asked her to translate rather than address him directly. The confrontation escalated into the deadly machete attack.
Another eyewitness told CBS Texas that Cobos-Martinez chased the victim “from 108 all the way to the office,” as Nagamallaiah desperately tried to reach safety and alert his family.
Police later confirmed that after the beheading, Cobos-Martinez kicked the victim’s head twice into the parking lot before dumping it into a trash container.
History Sheeter
When Dallas Fire-Rescue arrived, responders spotted the suspect covered in blood and still carrying the machete. They followed him until police officers managed to apprehend him. Cobos-Martinez, with prior arrests in Houston for auto theft and assault, is now in custody without bond and faces possible life imprisonment without parole or even the death penalty.
The Consulate General of India in Houston expressed condolences and confirmed it is assisting the grieving family. “We are in touch with the family and offering all possible assistance. The accused is in Dallas Police custody,” the consulate posted on X.
Known affectionately as Bob to friends and loved ones, Nagamallaiah is remembered as a devoted husband, caring father, and kind-hearted individual whose tragic death has left the community in shock. Friends described the killing as “sudden, deeply traumatic, and unimaginably brutal,” especially since it unfolded in front of his wife and son.
The local Indian community has rallied around the family, setting up a fundraiser to cover funeral costs, immediate expenses, and to support Nagamallaiah’s son’s college education. His funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
(With inputs from IBNS)
