Chandra Nagamallaiah, Indian national managing a Dallas motel, was brutally attacked and beheaded by Yordanis Cobos-Martinez with a machete in front of his wife and son.

Investigators said the 37-year-old accused placed the victim’s severed head in a dumpster before being arrested. Dallas Police officers, who found him wearing a blood-stained T-shirt, apprehended him shortly after he fled the Downtown Suites motel where the killing occurred, the NBC 5 reported.

Taking cognizance of the matter, Indian government on Friday expressed deep sorrow and concern over the brutal beheading of Nagamallaiah. The Consulate General of India in Houston said, “We are in touch with the family and offering all possible assistance.”

Witnesses described the crime as “sick and disturbing,” while police said the accused, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, cut the victim “several times” before decapitating him.

Argument over broken washing machine turned deadly

According to CBS News, An argument broke out between Nagamallaiah and Yordanis Cobos-Martinez over a broken washing machine. A co-worker told police that Nagamallaiah had asked Cobos-Martinez not to use it and later instructed someone else to translate his orders.

The argument reportedly enraged Cobos-Martinez, who left the scene, returned with a machete, and launched a brutal attack.

Grisly beheading

Police and witnesses said Cobos-Martinez chased Nagamallaiah outside the motel and struck him multiple times before decapitating him. According to NBC, the suspect kicked the victim’s severed head into the parking lot and later dumped it in a dumpster.

Dallas Police Executive Assistant Chief Terrence Rhodes said: “The preliminary investigation terms that the suspect cut the victim with an edged weapon several times.”

Witnesses described the crime as “sick and disturbing.”

Attack in front of wife and son

The 50-year-old victim, known as “Bob” to family and friends, was attacked in front of his wife and son, witnesses told CBS, adding that his family members tried to protect him, but the suspect continued striking with the machete.

Friends of the victim said: “This unimaginable tragedy was not only sudden but deeply traumatic. Bob’s life was taken in a brutal attack that occurred in front of his wife and son, who bravely tried to protect him. The shocking nature of this event has shaken our community.”

Suspect has history of crime

Records show that Cobos-Martinez had previously been arrested for auto theft in Florida, and for indecency with a child and assault charges in Houston.

NBC 5 reported that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Cobos-Martinez should have “never been free” in the United States. The agency blamed the Biden administration for the lack of deportation flights to Cuba.

He had earlier been released on an order of supervision after being held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center.

Arrest and confession

Cobos-Martinez was arrested still holding the machete and covered in blood. Police said he also had the victim’s key card and cell phone in his possession, multiple media reports said.

Investigators told NBC that Cobos-Martinez confessed to the killing during a recorded interview. An affidavit cited by the news outlet said: “Video shows the suspect then exited the motel room and produced a machete from his person and started cutting and stabbing the complainant multiple times.”

The Dallas Police confirmed that the suspect remains in custody while the investigation continues.