Dallas Motel Manager Killed in Machete Attack; Suspect Charged with Capital Murder

Dallas Motel Manager Killed in Machete Attack; Suspect Charged with Capital Murder

DALLAS, TX — A Dallas motel manager was brutally killed Wednesday morning in a machete attack that ended with his decapitation, police confirmed.

The suspect, 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, was arrested near the Downtown Suites on Samuell Boulevard shortly after 9:30 a.m. Witnesses reported seeing him in a blood-soaked shirt before officers took him into custody.

According to an arrest affidavit, the victim, Chandra Nagamallaiah, was cleaning a motel room with a colleague when he told Cobos-Martinez not to use a broken washing machine. Investigators say the suspect became angry because Nagamallaiah spoke through a translator rather than directly to him.

Surveillance video reportedly shows Cobos-Martinez leaving the room, pulling out a machete, and attacking Nagamallaiah with repeated cuts and stabs. Witnesses said the victim ran toward the office, where his wife and son were present. His son tried to intervene with a bat, but the assault continued. Police say Cobos-Martinez ultimately decapitated Nagamallaiah, kicked his head into the parking lot, and threw it into a dumpster.

Officers arrested Cobos-Martinez still carrying the machete, along with the victim’s phone and key card. During questioning, police say he admitted to the killing.

Public records show Cobos-Martinez has a criminal history in Houston, California, and Florida. A Cuban national, he is being held in the Dallas County Jail on an ICE detainer, charged with capital murder.

Detectives searched the property for evidence throughout the day. Motel owners described Nagamallaiah, who had managed the business for several years, as “a good, hardworking man.”