Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, an illegal immigrant of Cuban origin with a long criminal record, was arrested on Wednesday after brutally beheading the manager of a motel in Dallas, Texas, in front of his wife and son.
The crime has sparked strong controversy, especially because Cobos-Martinez had been released by immigration authorities under the Biden administration, despite his criminal record and having previously been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to the arrest warrant obtained by local media, the incident occurred at the Downtown Suites motel, where Cobos-Martinez, 37 years old, worked as a cleaning employee.
The victim, Chandra Nagamallaiah, 50 years old, told him and another worker not to use a washing machine that was broken. Cobos-Martinez became enraged because the manager spoke to him through a translator instead of communicating directly with him in Spanish, which triggered the attack.
According to security footage, Cobos-Martinez left the room, returned with a machete, and violently attacked Nagamallaiah. The manager tried to flee to the motel office, where his wife and son were, but was chased and mercilessly attacked.
Despite his family's desperate attempts to intervene, Cobos-Martinez continued the attack until he beheaded the victim. He then kicked Nagamallaiah's head twice into the parking lot and threw it in a dumpster, according to authorities.
Witnesses called 911, and police found the suspect a few blocks away, covered in blood and still wielding the machete. In a recorded interview with authorities, Cobos-Martinez confessed to the murder.
