President Donald Trump has vowed justice after the beheading of an Indian-origin hotel manager in Texas, saying the suspect in the case will be prosecuted to the “fullest extent” of the law.
Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah, 50, was beheaded by an edged weapon at a motel in Dallas on Wednesday after an argument with his co-worker, police say. Cuban national Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, has been arrested and charged with murder.
“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 wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Sharing details from Homeland Security, the U.S. president said Yordanis had previously been held for other crimes. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has said that the accused was released because “Cuba did not accept him because of his criminal history”.
“This individual was previously arrested for terrible crimes, including child sex abuse, grand theft auto, and false imprisonment, but was released back into our Homeland under incompetent Joe Biden because Cuba did not want such an evil person in their Country,” Trump said.
“Rest assured, the time for being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER under my watch!,” he said, and added: “This criminal, who we have in custody, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law. He will be charged with murder in the first degree!”
Nagamallaiah, a native of southern India’s Karnataka, worked at the Downtown Suites Motel in Dallas.
Homeland Security officials said he was attacked by Yordanis with a machete after the two got into a heated argument over a broken washing machine.
“This vile monster beheaded this man in front of his wife and child and proceeded to kick the victims’ head on the ground,” said Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin, calling it “completely preventable”.
She said: “President Trump and Secretary Noem are no longer allowing barbaric criminals to indefinitely remain in America. If you come to our country illegally, you could end up in Eswatini, Uganda, South Sudan, or CECOT.”
Officials said the suspect is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail.
Nagamallaih moved to the US in 2018 after finishing his school and college in India’s Bengaluru. His son was preparing to begin college after recently graduating from high school, Indian news channel NDTV reported.
The victim’s funeral was held on Saturday in Flower Mound in Texas, attended by his family and friends. A man identifying himself as a friend of Nagamallaiah, Tanmay Patel, started an online fundraiser for the Indian national’s family, saying it was to support the man’s son and wife.
“Yesterday, our dear friend Chandra Mouli ‘Bob’ Nagamallaiah tragically lost his life in a horrific act of violence at Downtown Suites in Dallas. Known as Bob to his friends and family, he was a loving husband, devoted father, and kind soul who touched the lives of everyone who knew him,” the GoFundMe page read.
Mr Patel said that Nagamallaiah’s life was “taken in a brutal attack that occurred in front of his wife and son, who bravely tried to protect him”.
As of Monday, the page had raised over $335,000 (almost £250,000) for Nagamallaiah’s family.
