Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, a 50-year-old Indian-origin motel manager, was beheaded in front of his wife and son in Texas following a dispute over a washing machine.

The suspect, identified as Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a co-worker with a criminal record, has been arrested and charged with capital murder. The incident took place on Wednesday morning at the Downtown Suites motel in Dallas.

Who is the victim? Chandra Mouli ‘Bob’ Nagamallaiah from Karnataka

The victim, Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, originally from Karnataka, was the manager of the Downtown Suites motel in Dallas. Friends and family described him as a devoted husband, loving father, and kind soul.

Also Read | India reacts to the beheading of Indian motel worker in US: ‘Tragic and brutal’

A fundraiser has been launched to support his wife and 18-year-old son, covering funeral expenses, daily needs, and the son’s college education. Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday.

How dispute that turned deadly

According to Dallas police, the attack followed a quarrel over a broken washing machine. Nagamallaiah asked a colleague to translate his instructions, which angered the suspect, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, news agency PTI reported.

Surveillance footage showed Cobos-Martinez fetching a machete, chasing the victim, and launching a frenzied assault as Nagamallaiah’s wife and son tried to stop him.

The accused has a violent past

Cobos-Martinez, 37, has a history of arrests in Houston for assault and auto theft. He is being held without bond in the Dallas County Jail under an immigration detainer.

The Department of Homeland Security identified him as a Cuban national who had previously been released after Cuba refused to take him back because of his criminal record.

If convicted, he faces either life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

Some chilling details

The affidavit cited a video that it said captured Cobos-Martinez leaving the motel room, producing a machete and repeatedly cutting and stabbing Nagamallaiah.

The affidavit added that Nagamallaiah fled to the motel’s front office, but Cobos-Martinez followed and continued to cut him, NBC News reported.

Cobos-Martinez removed a key card and a cellphone from Nagamallaiah’s pockets and continued cutting the victim “until his head was removed from his body,” the report added, citing the affidavit.

The affidavit also said Cobos-Martinez kicked Nagamallaiah’s head into the parking lot, then picked it up and put it in a dumpster.

First responders saw Cobos-Martinez fleeing the area and followed him. Officers took him into custody roughly a block away.