‘Just kept hitting him’: Public beheading over a washing machine shocks Dallas neighborhood

A brutal, public killing in Dallas, Texas, has left neighbors horrified, law enforcement scrambling, and a suspect in custody.

On September 10, 2025, 50-year-old motel manager Chandra Nagamallaiah was allegedly beheaded by a coworker after a dispute over a broken washing machine, police say. The accused, 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos‑Martinez, now faces capital murder charges.

A reported stabbing

According to reports, shortly before 9:30 a.m., Dallas Police responded to reports of a stabbing at the Downtown Suites motel, located in the 3400 block of Samuell Boulevard.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Nagamallaiah had approached Cobos‑Martinez, who was cleaning a motel room with a coworker, to tell him not to use a broken washing machine. The coworker had apparently been asked to translate Nagamallaiah’s message rather than Nagamallaiah speaking directly to Cobos‑Martinez.

Cobos‑Martinez allegedly became enraged at the arrangement. The affidavit and witness statements indicate that he left the room, retrieved a machete, and attacked Nagamallaiah. The victim attempted to flee toward the motel office while his wife and son tried to intervene, but witnesses say Cobos‑Martinez pushed them aside and continued the assault.

One witness, Stephanie Elliott, described the attack, saying, “He just kept hitting him and hitting until he decapitated him,” Elliott said. “I could not believe that anybody would do another human being that way.”

After the fatal attack, Cobos‑Martinez reportedly disposed of Nagamallaiah’s head in a dumpster and fled the scene.

Cobos‑Martinez criminal record: a naked carjacking

Dallas police arrested Cobos‑Martinez about a block away from the motel, still in possession of the machete and some of Nagamallaiah’s belongings, including a key card and cell phone. He was found covered in blood. Authorities also placed an immigration detainer on Cobos‑Martinez, a Cuban national allegedly in the U.S. without authorization.

Authorities charged Cobos‑Martinez with capital murder in connection with Nagamallaiah’s death, and reports say his bail has not yet been set. Records indicate a prior criminal history in Texas and California, including charges for indecency with a child, which was dismissed, and assault causing bodily injury, for which he pleaded guilty in 2023.

In 2017, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez was arrested by South Lake Tahoe police after attempting to steal a vehicle from a 22-year-old woman while naked. According to a report by KCRA, Cobos-Martinez attempted to remove the woman from her car before getting inside and trying to steal it with the victim still inside.

Bystanders pulled him out of the car, and he was subsequently arrested nearby and charged with carjacking and false imprisonment. He was then booked into the El Dorado County Jail

It is not yet clear what Cobos‑Martinez’s motive was beyond the immediate dispute, or whether any underlying personal conflict or mental health issues played a role. Information about his defense representation and potential trial dates has not been released.

Neighbors described the scene as horrific and deeply unsettling. From outside, onlookers saw a heavy law enforcement presence. The motel’s owners said Nagamallaiah had managed the motel for two to three years and was considered by many to be a hard-working, decent man.