An illegal migrant released from ICE custody earlier this year brutally murdered a motel manager in Old East Dallas on Wednesday.
Police identified the suspect as Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a Cuban national who entered the U.S. illegally and was released into the interior on January 13, 2025.
Brutal Attack
Cobos-Martinez allegedly attacked Chandra Nagamallaiah, 50, manager of the Downtown Suites motel.
He used a machete to repeatedly hack the victim before beheading him.
Cobos-Martinez
The killing occurred around 9:30 a.m. at the motel on Samuell Boulevard, just off Interstate 30.
According to the surveillance video, Cobos-Martinez was kicking the victim’s severed head across the parking lot.
He then picked it up and tossed it into a dumpster.
Screenshot
Dallas Fire-Rescue pronounced Nagamallaiah dead at the scene.
Images from SKY 4 showed a heavy police presence outside the Downtown Suites motel.
Authorities placed crime scene tape around the area and set up a partition around the body.
Chandra Nagamallaia
CBS News reported the attack happened in broad daylight, shocking nearby residents.
Capital Murder Charge
Cobos-Martinez has now been charged with capital murder.
He was taken into custody shortly after the attack.
Dallas police continue to investigate what led up to the gruesome killing.
Criminal Record
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported that Cobos-Martinez has an extensive criminal history.
His record includes:
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False imprisonment in California (unknown disposition)
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Indecency with a child in Texas (dismissed)
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Grand theft auto in Florida (dismissed)
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Carjacking and false imprisonment in California (acquitted of carjacking, convicted of false imprisonment)
Released by Biden Administration
Despite this background, the Biden Administration released Cobos-Martinez from ICE custody one week before President Trump was sworn in.
That decision allowed him to remain in the United States until the killing.
