❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Dallas County District Attorney’s office announced it would not seek the death penalty against an illegal immigrant charged with beheading a motel manager.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Yordanas Cobos-Martinez, an illegal immigrant; Chandra Nagamallaiah, the victim; and Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot’s office.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The DA’s announcement came in a November court hearing. The murder occurred in Dallas, Texas.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Based on our investigation and my conversations, the state of Texas is not seeking the death penalty. But we reserve the right to change our mind should anything come up.” — Dallas County prosecutor Julie Johnson
🎯IMPACT: The decision not to pursue the death penalty has drawn criticism, with many pointing to the suspect’s criminal history and prior release under former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
John Cruezot (D), the George Soros-backed District Attorney (DA) for Dallas County, Texas, says he will not pursue the death penalty in his prosecution of Yordanas Cobos-Martinez, an illegal immigrant charged with beheading motel manager Chandra Nagamallaiah. Dallas prosecutors announced the decision during a court hearing in November.
Cobos-Martinez allegedly attacked and murdered Nagamallaiah on September 10, 2025, following a dispute over a broken washing machine. The illegal immigrant is accused of using a machete to behead Nagamallaiah in front of the latter’s wife and son, subsequently kicking the victim’s head into the motel’s parking lot before picking it up and depositing it in a dumpster.
Prosecutor Julie Johnson stated, “Based on our investigation and my conversations, the state of Texas is not seeking the death penalty. But we reserve the right to change our mind should anything come up.” The DA’s office cited Cobos-Martinez’s immigration status as a complicating factor in securing a prosecution.
President Donald J. Trump commented on the case, saying, “I am aware of the terrible reports regarding the murder of Chandra Nagamallaiah, a well-respected person in Dallas, Texas, who was brutally beheaded, in front of his wife and son, by an ILLEGAL ALIEN from Cuba who should have never been in our Country.” Trump criticized the former Biden government for releasing Cobos-Martinez despite his criminal record, which included child sex abuse and carjacking.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Cobos-Martinez had a prior final order of removal to Cuba but was released under an Order of Supervision in January 2025 due to Cuba’s refusal to accept him.
Image by IMF Staff Photographer/Michael Spilotro.
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