Dallas man allegedly beheads Indian national over trivial dispute; accused has prior criminal record. Indian government expresses sorrow and offers assistance.
Indian man beheaded in US' texas
A Cuban immigrant in Dallas, Texas, allegedly beheaded an Indian man over a trivial dispute involving a broken washing machine at a motel. The incident took place at the Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, east of downtown. The victim, Chandra Nagamallaiah (50), was repeatedly attacked with a machete by Yordanis Cobos-Martinez (37), a known offender recently released from custody.
CCTV footage, which has gone viral on social media, shows Cobos-Martinez chasing Chandra through the motel corridor with a machete. As Chandra ran, he could be seen screaming and warning his wife and son to stay back when they tried to intervene. Chandra’s 18-year-old son attempted to step in, but Cobos-Martinez pushed him aside and continued the brutal attack.
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At one point, Chandra’s son brought a baseball bat to retaliate, but it was too late — his father had already been fatally struck. During the assault, Cobos-Martinez reportedly took items from Chandra’s pockets. The severed head then fell to the floor.
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Chandra’s wife, who was screaming in distress, tried to calm Cobos-Martinez, but he moved menacingly toward her. Her son quickly pulled her away from the gory scene. Another clip shows Cobos-Martinez kicking the severed head and then picking it up and disposing of it in a dumpster.
According to arrest records, police revealed that Cobos-Martinez was engrossed in an argument on Wednesday morning with the victim. The argument occurred when a witness was cleaning a room with Cobos-Martine when Nagamallaiah arrived and told them not to use the washing machine, as it was broken.
Cobos-Martinez became angry with Nagamallaiah for having the witness “translate the communication instead of speaking to Cobos-Martinez directly”. He then took out a machete and started chasing Nagamallaiah.
As Cobos-Martinez walked away from the scene, a Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) truck arrived. The personnel observed him still carrying the bloodied machete. The DFR unit followed him until police officers arrived and took him into custody.
According to reports, Cobos-Martinez allegedly admitted to police in a video interview that he killed his manager.
He had previously been in the custody of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson but was released on January 13 under the Biden administration, an ICE spokesperson told The New York Post.
“This violent offender was released because Cuba would not accept him due to his criminal history,” the spokesperson said.
“Cobos-Martinez allegedly used a machete to behead a merchant following a dispute, in front of the victim’s spouse and child,” the spokesperson added. “He reportedly kicked the victim’s head around like a soccer ball. ICE has lodged a detainer with the Dallas County Jail, where this illegal alien is now being held.”
Cobos-Martinez also has an extensive criminal record. He was charged with aggravated assault in Harris County in 2018 but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to one year in jail, according to KHOU.
While facing charges in Harris County, authorities discovered he was also wanted in California for carjacking, false imprisonment, and failure to appear, and he was subsequently extradited to face those charges.
The Indian government on Friday expressed deep sorrow and concern over the brutal beheading of Chandra Nagamallaiah, an Indian national fatally attacked in front of his family at his workplace in the United States.
The Consulate General of India in Houston confirmed the incident and extended condolences to the victim’s family. In an official statement, the Consulate described Nagamallaiah’s death as “tragic” and said it was in regular contact with the family, providing all necessary assistance.
“The Consulate General of India, Houston, condoles the tragic death of Mr. Chandra Nagamallaiah, an Indian national, brutally killed at his workplace in Dallas, Texas. We are in touch with the family and offering all possible assistance. The accused is in the custody of the Dallas Police. We are closely following the matter,” the statement read.
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