Reports indicate that an undocumented immigrant with a lengthy criminal record was taken into custody on Wednesday after allegedly beheading a motel manager and then kicking his head “like a soccer ball.”
Jordanis Kobos Martinez, 37, got into a dispute with manager Chandra Nagamalaya, 50, while cleaning a room at the Downtown Suites Motel in Dallas. The argument escalated when Nagamalaya instructed him and another employee not to use a faulty washing machine. Instead of taking the manager’s advice, Kobos Martinez demanded that instructions be translated, seemingly annoyed that they weren’t communicated in Spanish.
According to surveillance footage, he then exited the room, armed himself with a machete, and attacked Nagamalaya.
Panicked, the manager fled to the motel office, but, tragically, his wife and son were still in harm’s way. They attempted to help him, but Kobos Martinez continued his assault until the manager was decapitated, as reported by authorities.
After committing the act, he allegedly kicked the severed head into the parking lot and later tossed it into a trash can.
Witnesses alerted police, who found Kobos Martinez nearby, covered in the manager’s blood and still wielding the machete. He reportedly confessed to the murder during an interview with authorities.
Kobos Martinez had previously been held for enforcement actions by ICE at Anson’s Bluebonnet Detention Center. However, he was released in January under the Biden administration, as Cuba had refused to accept him due to his criminal history.
A spokesperson for ICE mentioned that the suspect was released due to the lack of flight options back to Cuba, stating, “This wild criminal was released because Cuba failed to accept him.” They added that he had committed the gruesome act in front of a victim’s spouse and child before adding, “Cobos Martinez reportedly kicked the victim’s head like a soccer ball.” Currently, he remains in custody at the Dallas County Jail.
Kobos Martinez’s criminal background includes a previous conviction for aggravated assault in 2018 in Harris County, where he was sentenced to a year in prison for a lesser charge. He was also wanted in California for carjacking and false imprisonment, stemming from a bizarre incident in 2017 when he attempted to carjack a woman while allegedly naked.
He is now facing capital murder charges and is being held without bond. At the time of publication, ICE had not responded to inquiries.
