Cuban Man Indicted for Grisly Hotel Manager Murder in Texas, Faces Possible Death Penalty

A Dallas County grand jury has handed down a capital murder indictment against Yordanis Cobos Martínez, a 37-year-old Cuban accused of beheading a motel manager with a machete in September, then discarding the victim's head in a trash bin. If convicted, he could face the death penalty under Texas Penal Code.

This information was confirmed by Al Día Dallas, which detailed that the formal charge was issued on October 23, and by The Dallas Morning News, which reported that the crime occurred in front of the victim's wife and son, in an attack described by investigators as "atrocious" and "savage."

A Shocking Crime in Dallas

The murder took place on the morning of September 10 at the Downtown Suites Motel on Samuell Boulevard. According to witnesses cited by Al Día Dallas, Cobos Martínez, an employee of the motel, argued with the manager, Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, 50, before leaving the building, retrieving a machete, and launching a repeated assault.

The victim attempted to flee to the office, where his wife and son were present. Both tried to intervene to save him but were pushed aside. The attack continued until Nagamallaiah was decapitated. The Dallas Morning News reported that the assailant kicked the victim's head twice, picked it up from the pavement, and threw it into a trash container. Authorities pronounced the manager dead at the scene.

Arrest, Criminal Record, and Immigration Hold

Cobos Martínez was arrested minutes later, found walking with the machete in hand, covered in blood. He has been held in the Dallas County Jail since, with a bail set at $1.25 million and an immigration hold by ICE.

The Cuban national is an undocumented immigrant with a prior deportation order, as confirmed by Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to The Dallas Morning News. Due to his criminal record, the United States attempted to deport him in 2025, but Cuba refused to accept him, leading ICE to release him due to the "unlikely prospect of future deportation." This release, uncovered by Fox News and CBS, sparked intense political debate following the crime.

The accused's criminal history is extensive:

• A conviction for assault in 2018.
• Arrest in California for attempting to steal a car while naked (2017).
• Charges of indecency with a minor in Texas (dismissed).
• Arrests for vehicle theft and carjacking in Florida (did not proceed).

New Allegations from Cuba

Following the Dallas murder, relatives of a victim in Holguín, Cuba, alleged that Cobos Martínez killed a man in 2008 and that his uncle took the blame to protect him, as reported by journalist Javier Díaz of Univision. This case was never thoroughly investigated, suggesting a possible pattern of violence spanning over a decade.

On the other hand, Nagamallaiah, an Indian immigrant and family man, had planned to visit India to see his parents weeks after the attack. His death has shocked the Indo-American community in Texas, which has raised nearly $200,000 to cover funeral expenses and support his 18-year-old son.

"It was a sudden and deeply traumatic murder," a family spokesperson told FOX.

A Case that Rekindles Immigration Debate in the U.S.

The DHS labeled the crime as "completely avoidable," blaming the Biden administration for releasing Cobos in January 2025. The office noted that under Donald Trump's administration, the deportation of criminals to third countries was resumed when Cuba refused to accept them.

The case has been cited by conservative authorities and commentators as an example of the impact of failed migration cooperation with Havana, while pro-immigrant organizations urge against generalizations that could fuel stigma towards Cubans.