“She was wrapped like a mummy. She had no face and no ears. Her hair was gone. The only thing I could see was her toes,” Alma Ogden, Amanda Buchanan’s friend, said in court.
A man accused of setting a woman on fire at a Chula Vista 7-Eleven last year—an attack that ultimately killed her—appeared in court on Wednesday.
The incident happened on Aug. 24, 2024, near Broadway and L Street. Juan Carlos Villanueva is charged with several crimes, including first-degree attempted murder, arson, and torture.
Amanda Buchanan, the suspect’s ex-girlfriend, suffered severe burns and later died. Her co-worker was also injured during the attack.
Five witnesses testified during Wednesday’s hearing. Buchanan’s best friend and two police officers described how they knew the victim and recalled the terrifying moments when both women were on fire inside the convenience store.
“She was wrapped like a mummy. She had no face and no ears. Her hair was gone. The only thing I could see was her toes,” Ogden said when asked about seeing Buchanan in the hospital.
Buchanan’s family later removed her from life support, and she died from her injuries.
Police say they used license plate reader technology, along with other investigative tools, to track down Villanueva. He was arrested the next morning in Redlands, California — roughly 100 miles north of Chula Vista.
Wednesday’s preliminary hearing serves as a key step in determining whether there is probable cause to move forward with the criminal case.
Villanueva is scheduled to return to court later this month.