The accused behind the beheading of an Indian man at a motel in the US city of Dallas was earlier arrested on several charges and should not have been freed, Indian-origin Congressman Ro Khanna said on Saturday.
In a post on X, the US representative from California described as "horrific" the brutal murder of the Indian in front of his wife and 18-year-old son - visuals of which have sent shockwaves across the US and India.
"The brutal beheading of a hardworking Indian American immigrant in front of his wife & son is horrific. The murderer had multiple prior arrests for violent theft & child endangerment & was undocumented. He should not have been free on American streets," he wrote on the micro-blogging platform.
His comments came against the backdrop of police records from Dallas County Jail showing that the accused, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, was earlier convicted in California and was arrested in Florida and Houston. He is a Cuban national and his immigration status is currently on hold.
Chandra Nagamallaiah, originally from Karnataka who was the manager of Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, east of Downtown, was attacked by Cobos-Martinez after an argument over a broken washing machine.
CCTV footage of the incident that has gone viral showed Cobos-Martinez chasing Nagamallaiah in the motel corridor, even as the latter screams and his family rushes and tries to rescue him. Cobos-Martinez, however, pushes her away and beheads Nagamallaiah.
When Nagamallaiah's wife continues to stop the accused, the latter advances menacingly towards her, prompting the woman's son to drag her away.
Another footage showed the accused kicking the severed head like a football, walking towards it, picking it up and then taking it to the dumpster.
The Consulate General of India in Houston said it was closely following up on the incident. "We are in touch with the family and offering all possible assistance. The accused is in the custody of Dallas Police," it said in a post on X.
As Cobos-Martinez walked away from the scene, a Dallas Fire-Rescue (DRF) truck arrived. The personnel saw Cobos-Martinez carrying the machete and covered in blood. They followed him until police officers were able to take him into custody.
According to an arrest document released by the police, a witness told the police that she was cleaning a room with Cobos-Martine when Nagamallaiah came and told them not to use the washing machine that was broken.
The witness said Cobos-Martinez got upset with Nagamallaiah for having the woman "translate the communication instead of speaking to [Cobos-Martinez] directly". He then took out a machete and started chasing Nagamallaiah.
Another witness told CBS Texas the accused chased the victim "from 108 all the way to the office. The man was trying to get into the office to tell his family".
After beheading Nagamallaiah, "the suspect then kicked his head twice into the parking lot and proceeded to pick it up and carry it to the dumpster and put it inside," the police said.
