The man accused of beheading aDallas motel manager with a machete was released from ICE custody earlier this year by the Biden administration.
Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, was arrested after he stabbed and decapitated 50-year-old Chandra Nagamallaiah with a machete on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Cobos-Martinez and Nagamallaiah, who was of Indian-origin, allegedly had an argument after the victim told him not to use a broken washing machine.
Cobos-Martinez Killed the Victim Following an Argument Over a Broken Washing Machine
Cobos-Martinez became upset because Nagamallaiah didn't speak to him directly and instead relied on a co-worker to translate his instructions to Cobos-Martinez for him.
Nagamallaiah reportedly tried to run down the parking lot towards the front office, but was chased by the accused. Nagamallaiah's wife and 18-year-old son also walked out of the front office and tried to stop Cobos-Martinez, but he pushed them away.
Cobos-Martinez then decapitated the victim with the machete and kicked Nagamallaiah's severed head into the parking lot, before picking it up and putting it in a dumpster. First responders saw Cobos-Martinez fleeing the area and followed him. Officers took him into custody roughly a block away.
After Cobos-Martinez's arrest, law enforcement officers learned he was an undocumented immigrant. He also had a lengthy criminal history that includes arrests and convictions for grand theft motor vehicle, false imprisonment, carjacking and indecency with a child through sexual contact.
Cobos-Martinez was Released from ICE Custody in January Because Cuba Refused to Accept Him
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said Cobos-Martinez is a Cuban national with a final order of removal from the United States. He was most recently in ICE custody at a detention center west of Dallas, the department said.
Cobos-Martinez was released on an order of supervision in January after Cuba "would not accept him because of his criminal history," according to the statement. The statement said the case supports the Trump administration's efforts to deport undocumented people to so-called "third countries," or places where the person may have no connections.
