Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot is refusing to pursue the death penalty against an illegal alien who beheaded his employer at a Dallas motel.
The September incident achieved national notoriety for being particularly gruesome, with President Donald Trump addressing the incident and promising the suspect would be prosecuted to the “fullest extent of the Law.”
Graphic security footage showed Yordanis Cobos-Martinez—a 37-year-old Cuban illegal alien with an extensive history of arrests in multiple states—kicking the victim’s head down the driveway in front of a family of onlookers.
Background
On the morning of September 10, Cobos-Martinez was reportedly cleaning rooms at the Downtown Suites Dallas—where he was employed—with a female coworker.
They were interrupted by their manager, 50-year-old Chandramouli Nagamallaiah, who reportedly told them not to use a broken washing machine. According to the coworker, Cobos-Martinez was offended that Nagamallaiah had asked her to translate for him, rather than speaking to him directly.
According to police, video evidence shows Cobos-Martinez following Nagamallaiah out of the room, pulling out a machete, and attacking him. Nagamallaiah was killed and beheaded in front of his wife and son.
Following the beheading, graphic security footage showed Cobos-Martinez kicking Nagamallaiah’s head down the driveway in front of a confused family of onlookers who had been walking by. He then picked up the head by the hair and tossed it into a dumpster.
Cobos-Martinez was swiftly arrested and taken into custody, where he reportedly admitted the murder to a detective.
His extensive criminal history was revealed in the days following his arrest.
In 2017, Cobos-Martinez was arrested in Florida for grand theft auto, though the charges were ultimately dropped.
Later that year, he was convicted for attempting to carjack a woman in South Lake Tahoe, California, while completely naked. He attempted to drag the woman out of the vehicle before climbing in and wrestling with her before his arrest. He was released on bail and fled the state.
In 2018, Cobos-Martinez was reportedly arrested in Harris County for indecency with a child. The charge was dropped due to insufficient evidence, though he allegedly punched a jailer in the jaw while awaiting trial. This landed him a jail sentence of one year, which he had already served while awaiting trial.
Officials extradited him back to California in 2023 to face charges for the 2017 carjacking. A jury reportedly acquitted him of carjacking but convicted him of false imprisonment. He again fled the state while on probation.
Back in Texas, Cobos-Martinez was arrested on a fugitive charge and was taken into ICE custody.
According to ICE, “Yordanis Cobos-Martinez has a past final order of removal to Cuba. He was most recently in ICE Dallas custody at the Bluebonnet Detention Center until he was released on an Order of Supervision on January 13, 2025—under the Biden administration. This barbaric criminal was released because Cuba would not accept him because of his criminal history.”
ICE assisted in the investigation and lodged an immigration detainer for the federal arrest and removal of Cobos-Martinez on September 12.
The high-profile nature of this case led to President Trump releasing a statement on the matter, slamming former President Biden’s immigration policy:
“Let-em-Go Creuzot”
Within a month of the incident, Cobos-Martinez was indicted on a capital murder charge.
However, prosecutor Julie Johnson reportedly told the court that District Attorney Creuzot’s office does not intend to try this as a death penalty case—leaving life imprisonment without parole as the maximum available punishment.
The Dallas motel beheading—one of the most gruesome murders in recent memory—is only the latest high-profile example of Creuzot’s conduct as DA.
Creuzot is infamous for being soft on crime, having been dubbed “Let-em-Go Creuzot” by critics.
In 2022, it was reported that 56 percent of violent crime suspects in Dallas were released. That figure includes about 75 percent of offenders charged with weapons law violations, about two-thirds of those arrested for aggravated assault, and 34 percent of those arrested for murder.
In 2024, Creuzot faced heavy criticism for failing to prosecute a suspect who was charged with sexually assaulting and trafficking a 15-year-old girl.
Cobos-Martinez remains in the Dallas County Jail without bond on both the murder charge and ICE hold, awaiting further proceedings.
While Johnson said Creuzot’s office does not intend to try this as a death penalty case, this has not been confirmed before the court. She said she will have a final answer on the matter by January 8.
Johnson added that “we reserve the right to change our mind should anything come up.”
Creuzot has changed course on issues in the past after receiving public scrutiny. In 2022, he reversed a controversial policy of not prosecuting thefts of less than $750.
“I want the people of Dallas County and our partner police agencies to know that I have heard their concerns,” he explained in a press release. “I will change when change is needed, so to that end, I am rescinding the policy.”
In the case of Cobos-Martinez, advocates of the death penalty are hoping to change Creuzot’s mind before a final decision is announced.
Creuzot’s office can be reached at 214-653-3600.
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