A 50-year-old Indian-origin motel manager from Karnataka, Chandramouli Nagamallaiah, was brutally beheaded by a co-worker at a Dallas motel on Wednesday, in an attack witnessed by his wife and son. The shocking murder erupted after a workplace dispute escalated over a broken washing machine.
Nagamallaiah managed the Downtown Suites Motel in Dallas, where the deadly incident occurred. According to police reports, Nagamallaiah instructed co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, not to use the malfunctioning washing machine.
However, rather than addressing Cobos-Martinez directly, Nagamallaiah asked another employee to translate his instructions, which reportedly enraged Cobos-Martinez. The confrontation quickly turned violent, with Cobos-Martinez retrieving a machete and attacking Nagamallaiah multiple times.
Chandra Nagamallaiah lost the life because of rampant anti India racist post normalised by SM especially Twitter and TikTok in the name of free speech. Yordanis Cobos-Martinez is another repeat criminal. #ElonMusk has blood of Chandra in his hand. https://t.co/AulnKrQnAn
— Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) September 12, 2025
Surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts reveal a horrific scene: Nagamallaiah tried to escape, running toward the motel’s front office where his wife and 18-year-old son were present. Despite frantic efforts by them to intervene, Cobos-Martinez relentlessly pursued and assaulted him. The attacker ultimately beheaded Nagamallaiah, kicked his severed head into the motel parking lot, and disposed of it in a dumpster. Before fleeing, Cobos-Martinez took Nagamallaiah’s phone and key card.
Police found Cobos-Martinez nearby, still wielding the machete and covered in blood, and promptly arrested him. The suspect has a lengthy criminal record including grand theft auto, assault, carjacking, and sexual offenses. He is a Cuban national who was released from immigration custody earlier this year due to a lack of deportation flights to Cuba, despite an active removal order and other legal issues. He is now charged with capital murder and held without bond at Dallas County Jail under an immigration hold.
Consulate General of India, Houston, condoles the tragic death of Mr. Chandra Nagamallaiah, an Indian National, killed brutally at his workplace in Dallas, Tx.
We are in touch with the family and offering all possible assistance. The accused is in the custody of Dallas Police.…
— India in Houston (@cgihou) September 11, 2025
The Indian Consulate in Houston issued a condolence statement, saying, “We are in touch with the family and offering all possible assistance. The accused is in the custody of the Dallas Police. We are following up on the matter closely.” Funeral arrangements are underway, and the local Indian community is expected to rally in support of the grieving family.
Dallas police continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crime. The brutal murder has shocked the Indian diaspora and prompted wider discussions about workplace safety and immigration enforcement in the United States.
