Topline: An affidavit reveals a gruesome new detail in the beheading of a Dallas motel manager, alleging that the suspect kicked the victim’s severed head “like a soccer ball” before disposing of it.
Published: September 12, 2025 8:00 am ET
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Yordanis Cobos-Martinez (via Dallas County Jail)
DALLAS, TX — A manager at a Dallas motel was beheaded with a machete after a dispute over a broken washing machine.
Dallas police identified the victim as 50-year-old Chandra Nagamallaiah and the suspect as 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez.
According to police and a news release from the Dallas Police Department, at about 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, officers responded to a stabbing call in the 3400 block of Samuell Boulevard.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue also responded to the scene, where the victim was pronounced dead. Cobos-Martinez was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the crimes.
The arrest affidavit obtained by WFAA indicated a witness, who worked with both the victim and suspect at the Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, told police that Nagamallaiah had approached her and Cobos-Martinez to tell them not to use a broken washing machine. According to the witness, Cobos-Martinez became upset that Nagamallaiah was speaking to her to translate rather than directly to him.
Surveillance video then showed Cobos-Martinez leave the room, grab a machete, and begin attacking Nagamallaiah, who ran toward the motel office where his wife and son were, still under attack, according to CBS News.
Nagamallaiah’s wife and son attempted to intervene several times, but Cobos-Martinez pushed them away and continued his assault, police said. He paused to take Nagamallaiah’s phone and key card from his pockets before resuming the attack.
The detective who wrote the affidavit stated that Cobos-Martinez continued the attack until Nagamallaiah’s head “was removed from his body” and then kicked the head “twice into the parking lot and proceeded to pick it up and carry it to the dumpster and put it inside,” according to CBS News. A witness told WFAA that she saw the attack and couldn’t believe anyone “would do another human being that way.”
According to the Dallas Police Department, a Dallas Fire-Rescue truck arrived at the scene and saw Cobos-Martinez still carrying the machete and covered in blood. The DFR unit followed the suspect until police officers were able to take him into custody.
According to WFAA, Dallas Police Executive Assistant Chief Terrence Rhodes said during a press conference that officers were “proactively patrolling the area and responded quickly to take the violent criminal into custody.”
Rhodes said the officers showed “tremendous restraint” and used “minimal force” to apprehend the armed suspect. Cobos-Martinez admitted to the crime in an interview with a detective.
WFAA reported that Cobos-Martinez is listed as an immigrant from Cuba, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed it assisted DPD during the interrogation.
According to ICE, Cobos-Martinez “did the unthinkable and proceeded to kick the head around like a soccer ball” and was released on an order of supervision on January 13, because of “no removal flights to Cuba.”
The Dallas attack wasn’t the first time Cobos-Martinez has been in trouble with the law. According to KHOU, court records show he was charged with aggravated assault in Harris County in 2018, which was later pleaded down to a misdemeanor. He was also arrested in January 2023 for an out-of-state fugitive warrant from California for carjacking, false imprisonment, and failure to appear, and was extradited to California, according to KHOU.
The Dallas Police Department asks anyone with information on this case to contact Detective Cody Clark at 214-671-3584 or cody.clark@dallaspolice.gov. The case is documented under number 130413-2025.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Police: Motel Manager Beheaded Over Washing Machine Dispute
An affidavit reveals a gruesome new detail in the beheading of a Dallas motel manager, alleging that the suspect kicked the victim’s severed head “like a soccer ball” before disposing of it.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 12, 2025 8:00 am ET
Yordanis Cobos-Martinez (via Dallas County Jail)
DALLAS, TX — A manager at a Dallas motel was beheaded with a machete after a dispute over a broken washing machine.
Dallas police identified the victim as 50-year-old Chandra Nagamallaiah and the suspect as 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez.
According to police and a news release from the Dallas Police Department, at about 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, officers responded to a stabbing call in the 3400 block of Samuell Boulevard.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue also responded to the scene, where the victim was pronounced dead. Cobos-Martinez was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the crimes.
The arrest affidavit obtained by WFAA indicated a witness, who worked with both the victim and suspect at the Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, told police that Nagamallaiah had approached her and Cobos-Martinez to tell them not to use a broken washing machine. According to the witness, Cobos-Martinez became upset that Nagamallaiah was speaking to her to translate rather than directly to him.
Surveillance video then showed Cobos-Martinez leave the room, grab a machete, and begin attacking Nagamallaiah, who ran toward the motel office where his wife and son were, still under attack, according to CBS News.
Nagamallaiah’s wife and son attempted to intervene several times, but Cobos-Martinez pushed them away and continued his assault, police said. He paused to take Nagamallaiah’s phone and key card from his pockets before resuming the attack.
The detective who wrote the affidavit stated that Cobos-Martinez continued the attack until Nagamallaiah’s head “was removed from his body” and then kicked the head “twice into the parking lot and proceeded to pick it up and carry it to the dumpster and put it inside,” according to CBS News. A witness told WFAA that she saw the attack and couldn’t believe anyone “would do another human being that way.”
According to the Dallas Police Department, a Dallas Fire-Rescue truck arrived at the scene and saw Cobos-Martinez still carrying the machete and covered in blood. The DFR unit followed the suspect until police officers were able to take him into custody.
According to WFAA, Dallas Police Executive Assistant Chief Terrence Rhodes said during a press conference that officers were “proactively patrolling the area and responded quickly to take the violent criminal into custody.”
Rhodes said the officers showed “tremendous restraint” and used “minimal force” to apprehend the armed suspect. Cobos-Martinez admitted to the crime in an interview with a detective.
WFAA reported that Cobos-Martinez is listed as an immigrant from Cuba, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed it assisted DPD during the interrogation.
According to ICE, Cobos-Martinez “did the unthinkable and proceeded to kick the head around like a soccer ball” and was released on an order of supervision on January 13, because of “no removal flights to Cuba.”
The Dallas attack wasn’t the first time Cobos-Martinez has been in trouble with the law. According to KHOU, court records show he was charged with aggravated assault in Harris County in 2018, which was later pleaded down to a misdemeanor. He was also arrested in January 2023 for an out-of-state fugitive warrant from California for carjacking, false imprisonment, and failure to appear, and was extradited to California, according to KHOU.
The Dallas Police Department asks anyone with information on this case to contact Detective Cody Clark at 214-671-3584 or cody.clark@dallaspolice.gov. The case is documented under number 130413-2025.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Latest Articles
Police: Motel Manager Beheaded Over Washing Machine Dispute
An affidavit reveals a gruesome new detail in the beheading of a Dallas motel manager, alleging that the suspect kicked the victim’s severed head “like a soccer ball” before disposing of it.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 12, 2025 8:00 am ET
Yordanis Cobos-Martinez (via Dallas County Jail)
DALLAS, TX — A manager at a Dallas motel was beheaded with a machete after a dispute over a broken washing machine.
Dallas police identified the victim as 50-year-old Chandra Nagamallaiah and the suspect as 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez.
According to police and a news release from the Dallas Police Department, at about 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, officers responded to a stabbing call in the 3400 block of Samuell Boulevard.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue also responded to the scene, where the victim was pronounced dead. Cobos-Martinez was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the crimes.
The arrest affidavit obtained by WFAA indicated a witness, who worked with both the victim and suspect at the Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, told police that Nagamallaiah had approached her and Cobos-Martinez to tell them not to use a broken washing machine. According to the witness, Cobos-Martinez became upset that Nagamallaiah was speaking to her to translate rather than directly to him.
Surveillance video then showed Cobos-Martinez leave the room, grab a machete, and begin attacking Nagamallaiah, who ran toward the motel office where his wife and son were, still under attack, according to CBS News.
Nagamallaiah’s wife and son attempted to intervene several times, but Cobos-Martinez pushed them away and continued his assault, police said. He paused to take Nagamallaiah’s phone and key card from his pockets before resuming the attack.
The detective who wrote the affidavit stated that Cobos-Martinez continued the attack until Nagamallaiah’s head “was removed from his body” and then kicked the head “twice into the parking lot and proceeded to pick it up and carry it to the dumpster and put it inside,” according to CBS News. A witness told WFAA that she saw the attack and couldn’t believe anyone “would do another human being that way.”
According to the Dallas Police Department, a Dallas Fire-Rescue truck arrived at the scene and saw Cobos-Martinez still carrying the machete and covered in blood. The DFR unit followed the suspect until police officers were able to take him into custody.
According to WFAA, Dallas Police Executive Assistant Chief Terrence Rhodes said during a press conference that officers were “proactively patrolling the area and responded quickly to take the violent criminal into custody.”
Rhodes said the officers showed “tremendous restraint” and used “minimal force” to apprehend the armed suspect. Cobos-Martinez admitted to the crime in an interview with a detective.
WFAA reported that Cobos-Martinez is listed as an immigrant from Cuba, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed it assisted DPD during the interrogation.
According to ICE, Cobos-Martinez “did the unthinkable and proceeded to kick the head around like a soccer ball” and was released on an order of supervision on January 13, because of “no removal flights to Cuba.”
The Dallas attack wasn’t the first time Cobos-Martinez has been in trouble with the law. According to KHOU, court records show he was charged with aggravated assault in Harris County in 2018, which was later pleaded down to a misdemeanor. He was also arrested in January 2023 for an out-of-state fugitive warrant from California for carjacking, false imprisonment, and failure to appear, and was extradited to California, according to KHOU.
The Dallas Police Department asks anyone with information on this case to contact Detective Cody Clark at 214-671-3584 or cody.clark@dallaspolice.gov. The case is documented under number 130413-2025.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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