Chula Vista, CA – A horrifying case returned to court this week as the man accused of setting his ex-girlfriend on fire inside a 7-Eleven last year appeared before a judge for a preliminary hearing.
Amanda Buchanan, 44, died days after the brutal attack on August 24, 2024. Prosecutors say her former partner, Jose Carlos Villanueva, 49, entered the store where she was working, doused her in gasoline and set her ablaze. He is charged with murder, torture, mayhem and arson causing great bodily harm.
A Deadly Morning Inside a Neighborhood Store
Officers were dispatched just after 8 a.m. to the convenience store at 899 Broadway when reports of a fire came in. Smoke poured from the front entrance as police arrived. One employee lay outside with severe burns, while another woman’s voice could be heard coming from inside the building.
Police located Buchanan on the floor, unable to move. Officers carried her outside and both women were rushed to the hospital. Buchanan died a few days later. Her colleague survived but suffered significant burn injuries.
Surveillance Footage Reveals the Attack
Buchanan’s son, Dominic Rivera, said he reviewed the store’s surveillance video. He described the sequence of events moments before the flames engulfed his mother…