Dallas, TX: A horrifying incident unfolded at the Downtown Suites motel near Interstate 30 in Dallas, Texas, on September 10, 2025, leaving a family and community in mourning. Chandramouli Nagamallaiah, a 50-year-old man of Indian descent, was brutally killed in a machete attack following a heated dispute, authorities confirmed.
The Dallas Police Department identified Yordanis Cobos-Martinez as the suspect in the gruesome killing, which took place in broad daylight at the motel located near Tenison Golf Course. Cobos-Martinez, now in custody, faces capital murder charges and is being held without bond, with an additional immigration detainer, according to jail records.
The incident reportedly stemmed from a workplace disagreement. Court documents reveal that Nagamallaiah, who worked at the motel, had instructed Cobos-Martinez and a female colleague not to use a malfunctioning washing machine while they cleaned a room. The situation escalated when Cobos-Martinez, reportedly offended that Nagamallaiah communicated through the colleague acting as a translator, became enraged.
Surveillance footage captured the chilling sequence of events. Cobos-Martinez retrieved a machete and pursued Nagamallaiah through the motel’s parking lot as the victim fled, desperately calling for help. Despite attempts by Nagamallaiah’s wife and son, who were in the motel’s front office, to intervene, the suspect continued his relentless attack. The affidavit describes a brutal assault, with Cobos-Martinez decapitating Nagamallaiah and later kicking the victim’s head across the parking lot before disposing of it in a dumpster.
Nearby Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel witnessed the bloodied suspect fleeing the scene and trailed him until police arrived to make the arrest. Authorities say Cobos-Martinez confessed to using the machete to kill Nagamallaiah, though it remains unclear whether the attack was premeditated.
The Consulate General of India in Houston issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over the tragedy. “We are devastated by the brutal killing of Mr. Chandra Nagamallaiah, an Indian national, at his workplace in Dallas,” the consulate posted on X. “We are in contact with his family, providing all possible support, and are closely monitoring the investigation as the suspect remains in custody.”
The senseless violence has left the local community reeling, with crime scene tape and a partition marking the grim aftermath at the motel. As the investigation continues, questions linger about what drove such an extreme act of violence over a seemingly minor dispute.
The Dallas Police Department urges anyone with additional information to come forward as they work to piece together the full circumstances of this tragedy.
