Prosecutors won't seek death penalty for man accused in Dallas motel manager beheading, authorities say

Editor's note: This story contains graphic details about an alleged murder.

Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against the man accused of beheading a Dallas motel manager last September, authorities said.

Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, admitted to using a machete to attack and kill his co-worker at the Downtown Suites on Samuell Boulevard during an argument, according to investigators.

The decision was disclosed in a document filed this month in the 283rd Judicial District Court in Dallas.

Cobos-Martinez still faces a capital murder charge. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

It was not immediately clear why prosecutors decided against seeking the death penalty or when the trial would begin.

CBS News Texas has reached out to the court clerk for more information.

Arrest affidavit details alleged killing

An arrest affidavit released last year revealed graphic details about the case.

In a sworn statement submitted to a Dallas County magistrate judge, a Dallas police detective said Cobos-Martinez was involved in an argument with the victim, 50-year-old Chandra Nagamallaiah.

Both men worked at the Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, east of downtown Dallas. A witness, another motel employee, told police she was cleaning a room with Cobos-Martinez when Nagamallaiah came to tell them not to use a broken washing machine.

The witness told police that Cobos-Martinez became upset because Nagamallaiah had the employee "translate the communication instead of speaking to [Cobos-Martinez] directly."

Police said surveillance video showed Cobos-Martinez leave the room, pull out a machete and begin attacking Nagamallaiah. Investigators said the victim ran toward the motel office, where his wife and son were located, while screaming for help.

A witness who requested anonymity told CBS News Texas he saw the incident unfold.

"He chased him from 108 all the way to the office. The man was trying to get into the office to tell his family," the witness said.

According to police, Nagamallaiah's wife and son tried several times to intervene, but Cobos-Martinez pushed them away and continued the attack. Investigators said Cobos-Martinez then took Nagamallaiah's cellphone and key card from his pockets before continuing the assault until the victim was decapitated.

"The suspect then kicked the [Nagamallaiah's] head twice into the parking lot and proceeded to pick it up and carry it to the dumpster and put it inside," the detective wrote in the affidavit.

As Cobos-Martinez walked away from the scene, a Dallas Fire-Rescue crew arrived and saw him carrying the machete and covered in blood, police said. Firefighters followed Cobos-Martinez until police officers took him into custody.

Dallas Fire-Rescue said that when crews are dispatched to incidents involving a potential or ongoing threat, "our members are required to stage at a safe distance until law enforcement has deemed the scene safe for entry."

"I feel bad for his family because he got a wife, they came out, and they didn't know what to do. She was screaming, hollering, but I told her to get back because I didn't know if he was going to attack her too," the witness said.

Police said Cobos-Martinez admitted to the killing during an interview with detectives.

Records show Cobos-Martinez was previously arrested twice on auto theft charges in Florida. Records also show he has pending indecency with a child and assault charges in Houston.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.